I Need You To Survive

He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body.

1 Corinthians 12:25‭-‬27 CEVDCI

https://bible.com/bible/303/1co.12.25-27.CEVDCI

Spiritual Free Agency

For the first time in at least a decade, I am a spiritual free agent.

Before I continue, allow me to define the aforementioned phrase and simultaneous title: A spiritual free agent is an individual who has left the physical four walls of a church as a result of a myriad of events and still maintains the core tenets of what affects his or her walk albeit in a solitary state. Some examples are the following: the church he once formerly attended lost the plot, and as a leader, he found the rot too deep to recover from without blowing up the foundation to reestablish the direction and mission; a situation so egregious that removal is the best option; simply existing in the rote and routine portions of openly pious doctrine without examining the relationship with the higher being of choice and truly following it; a congregation wed to country club groupthink; and so forth. The pain of leaving cuts deeply yet necessary and as I try to follow God without a known community of likeminded souls to find a physical house of worship we can grow, lead effectively, and be relevant in a changing yet still sin sick world, I had to lay out both a timeline and parameters that would benefit my family. 

If you want to know what happened, this is neither the time nor the place to share those circumstances as I have reiterated that my season at the Mount came to an end October 2021. In other words, I'm not talking.

Folks would be wise to know this

Treating spiritual free agency in a similar vein as pro athletes looking to make the best decisions for championships, financial security, the familiarity of home, and advancing in the walk - remember, this one is unlike academia where one can aspire to becoming a professor, department chair, provost, dean, or institution president. The difference is that having a physical location to call home in worship is prayerfully one that allows for spiritual growth for all of us without being a number or overwhelmed by a group more than amenable toward sitting on the sidelines instead of getting out in the field, to paraphrase Matthew 9:37. 

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Matthew 9:37 KJVhttps://t.co/MnK2i8JN8V

— A. Cedric Armstrong (@cedteaches) June 3, 2022

What am I looking for?

As much as I prefer local, I require a Black congregation to worship and serve together with progressive growth in both Christian education and practice. Having a 8 am Sunday morning service is certainly a bonus - staying awake for 11 am after working all night is a nonstarter for my health. Every church has its own issues and as my uncle reminded me recently, there is no such thing as a perfect church: What can you live with and what are the red flags? In spite of the whooping and hollering and heavy breathing through the microphone and choir singing until the sopranos faint or the director hits the high note, there has to be sound doctrine taught. Otherwise, we're just meeting for a good time not a meaningful time and perpetuating a spiritual babyhood.

Ain't nobody got time for that 👆🏿

Where have we been? I'm not posting a scorecard but I'll share where we have been. If anyone can tell me where the Black Baptist church in Bryant is (not Sharon BC of Alexander), I would greatly appreciate it.

In Person

New Jerusalem MBC, Little Rock

St. Paul MBC of Benton

St. Paul MBC of Little Rock

Greater Galilee MBC, Little Rock

Mt. Zion MBC of Benton

Saint Mark BC, Little Rock 

Virtual

Eastern Star BC, Gurdon

Greater Friendship MBC, Conway (my childhood church home)

Mount Olive MBC, Arkadelphia

Labannah MBC, Little Rock

Miller St. BC, Pittsburgh, PA

Bethany MBC, McNeil 

Spring of Hope COGIC, Springfield, MA

Plan to visit

Eudora MBC, Pine Bluff

Union Baptist Church, Pocola, OK

Thanks to all of the houses of worship which have welcomed us either in person or virtually during our reset as we prayerfully attempt to cut through the fluff and unite with like-minded Christian brothers and sisters in our next phase of our spiritual lives. 

You'll find out our decision soon. 

Take a Look Around Yourselves

My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord? You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves.

James 2:5‭-‬8 CEVDCI

The Beef You Need: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Brisket-Style Tri-Tip

I accidentally did this a year ago when my wife was still working from home and she sent me out to run errands for her, so this time is a bit more intentional.

Wanna see how I did it? Keep reading.

INGREDIENTS

One beef tri-tip, approximately 2-3 lbs

Worcestershire sauce

Brisket rub

Fire and Smoke Society's Thundering Longhorn rub

STEP ONE. First things first: Remove the meat from its packaging and pat it dry. Once done, give it a few tablespoons on Worcestershire sauce and spread it all around before applying first the Buc-ees brisket rub and then Fire and Smoke Society's Thundering Longhorn. Allow it to come up to room temperature and as that happens, go outside to light the smoker.

STEP TWO. The smoker is ready for the tri-tip at 250 degrees. Unlike Still Tippin' For Tri-Tip from a couple of years ago where we seared the steak on all sides before cooking indirectly on the grill to an awesome 130 degrees, this tri-tip is going all-in on the brisket-style cook. Don't think much of the time only cook to a temperature of approximately 160 degrees before wrapping it up in butcher paper and returning to the smoke.

STEP THREE. In the miracle of time, the tri-tip is finished at a temperature of 205 degrees. Give it a two-hour rest before slicing and serve alongside some of these other goodies from the past weekend's cook; if this happens to be leftovers, the slices can become taco meat, the base for hash, sandwiches, or anything else that comes to mind. Just don't disrespect your efforts and drown your beef in A-1 or Heinz 57.

Is it as good as regular brisket? Close, but nothing truly replaces that taste.

For a great midweek meal or if it is just too darn hot to babysit a fire or inflation priced you out of brisket - thanks, Moneybagg Joe - brisket-style tri-tip is the ticket. With a little planning ahead, your family will love outdoor cooking a little more. Thanks for reading this post and if you like what you see, try it out and tag me on either blue social media platform or in this blog's comments section. As always, be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! 

Stepping Up: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Beef Tenderloin

I scored a wicked awesome good deal on beef tenderloin at the grocery store nearest my job the other day. This is probably one of the few mainstream cuts of beef I had never cooked and considering its normal prices, it would have to be a really special occasion such as Juneteenth or Father's Day.

Here is the story of how it went down and how good it tastes.

INGREDIENTS

One beef tenderloin*

Worcestershire sauce

Fire and Smoke Society's Holy Garlic rub

Fire and Society's Thundering Longhorn rub

*With this cut, some barbecuers prefer the center cut such as this one. If you're blessed to get a whole tenderloin, congratulations; the ends can be used for stir fry, amongst other things if the need to square them off arises. 

STEP ONE. Remove the beef tenderloin from its packaging and trim off the silver skin. Slather on the Worcestershire sauce all over it after which apply the Holy Garlic and Thundering Longhorn rubs liberally. Once completed, go outside and light the grill to 250 degrees.

STEP TWO. Once the grill reaches optimal cooking temperature, set the tenderloin indirectly from the coals and let it work. Since this is a premium cut (to me), it is critically important that I don't mess this up by overcooking it. I know there are some of you who like eating well-done steaks and you deserve chicken and cheeseburgers instead but this is neither the time nor the place for mistakes with my hard-earned money. The way your tenderloin is placed on the grill is how it cooks so be aware of that factoid.

STEP THREE. Beef tenderloin is finished at 130 degrees (medium rare). I know stopping at 122 (rare) is ideal and I'm not that brave to do blue rare anything; once this one hit 130, I pulled it off the grill and let it rest for about twenty minutes before slicing. For my small family, I could have given them 1/2 lb steaks but for this exercise, I chose to make them a bit thinner to enjoy with side items or the eventual sandwich. Steakums ain't got nothing on Dub Shack BBQ!

When I say do this, DO. THIS. It took about 90 minutes on my PK from start to finish and since I was also smoking cream cheese, I tended to keep a bit of an eagle eye on this protein during that process. Enjoy the holiday weekend and although we dads have to cook our own dinner (Mom got feted last month), it is another day to eat great barbecue. Be blessed, be safe, and be good to each other and most of all, tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! 

IYKYK

Not Flipper! Dub Shack BBQ Presents Grilled Mahi Mahi

Flipper and his friends at Sea World are safe.

What is mahi mahi, exactly?

I should've brought this guy out several months ago during the #quickienights series but here is dinner. #DubShackBBQ🏚️ #everydayisaGREATdayforbbq #pitmasterlife #igotthesauces #mahimahi🐬 pic.twitter.com/o2wXKE8UYv

— A. Cedric Armstrong (@cedteaches) June 13, 2022

Known as dorado, it is a ray fish dwelling in the warm waters such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a white fish meaning the strong taste associated with some fish such as catfish is minimized. It can be baked but for the purpose of this recipe, my three pieces went outside onto the grill.

INGREDIENTS

Mahi mahi

Olive oil

Big Poppa's Desert Gold barbecue rub

STEP ONE. Thaw out the fish. If you're lucky enough to find a fishmonger, get the best filets you can afford. We know Whole Foods is sometimes called Whole Paycheck; people remember the protein served so get the best your meat budget and deep freezer space allow.

As a trial run, I got mine from Walmart.

STEP TWO. Rub the filets with olive oil and Big Poppa's Desert Gold barbecue rub and set aside for ten minutes. In the meantime, go outside and light the grill! Be certain the grill grates are oiled down so the fish does not stick before putting it on. Once the grill reaches a minimum temperature of 350 degrees, it is time to place the filets on the grill.

Proof that even on rainy days, every day is a GREAT day for barbecue

STEP THREE. Don't go too far away; mahi mahi is done at 137 degrees but I would not dare take it beyond 145 degrees. At six minutes, give it a flip and pull within the next three minutes for a short rest before diving in!

What do you serve with mahi mahi? 

Your choice. However, some of the most commonly suggested side items are asparagus; green salad; and veggie kabobs as you see in this picture below. 

In that quest to lose weight - and keep it off, mahi mahi is a suitable stand-in for the normal fish like tuna and salmon without the feeling of same old, same old. I will do this recipe again as a quick weeknight dinner idea, and I recommend you try it at least once. As always, thanks for reading this post, and if you like it enough to make mahi mahi, do so and share it amongst friends. Be blessed, be safe, and be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! 

Smokin' Green: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Smoked Cabbage

If you think this is a marijuana post or the lyrics to a Mystikal song from my college days, sorry to disappoint. In keeping with MBCA (Make Barbecue Cheap Again), we must not forget about the sides. Most of the time in barbecue joints or family shindigs, we see the usual baked beans, fries, potato salad, and white bread but what if I told you that smoking cabbage is the ticket? 

I haven't done it in a couple of years but there was this solitary head of cabbage in the refrigerator that was calling my name...

CABBAGE: Ced!

Me: What's up?

CABBAGE: Smoke me. 

Me: Aight, bet. 

INGREDIENTS

One head of cabbage (size doesn't matter)

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Paprika

Onion powder

1/2 stick of butter

Water

STEP ONE. Slice the cabbage into bite-size pieces and set aside in a bowl.

STEP TWO. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of cabbage and mix evenly before placing into an aluminum pan. Add enough water to the pan to steam the cabbage.

STEP THREE. Put it on the smoker and let it work until it is tender to your satisfaction. It could be as little as 30 minutes or as long as four hours; check periodically on the side. 

STEP FOUR. Pull it from the smoker and rest ten to fifteen minutes before serving. 

Side items do not take all that long. If you're already cooking, don't forget about them and allow the bakers to keep using kitchen space for cakes, cookies, and other things that do not necessitate making makeshift tables and holding areas for the greatness of tasty barbecue. Besides, the vegan friends and family members can find themselves welcome at the cookout. As always, thanks for reading this post and as the weekend draws near, go outside and cook something awesome!

 

Be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and don't forget to tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!