For the record, every word I am about to share is true! Because of the date today, some might think this is an April Fool’s blog post. (I hear there are blogs that take April Fool’s Day way too seriously and run a series of silly posts! I find that offensive, but to each his own.) This is not an April Fool’s post.
A week ago, Frank Page was in our church for an evangelism rally – the best evangelism rally I’ve ever been to. He was insightful, funny, poignant and practical.
Then, afterwards, my wife slugged him!
Well, maybe not slugged… but she definitely hit him as I watched in horror!
The conference was over and Dr. Page was getting ready to leave. Jenni was talking to him about some of the things he said, and getting some information from him when it happened. He made a joke (as I have done often) and she hit him on the arm (as she has done often to me). I stood there in horror and amazement thinking “My wife just slugged the president of the Executive Committee of the SBC.” I saw my chances of ever join the ruling elite in the SBC go up in smoke as my wife physically assaulted the good Dr. Page.
I’m not sure what it says about Dr. Page, but he did not seem offended in any way.
I am planning to be in NOLA for the SBC this summer. Those of you who would diss me, insult me or in any other way annoy me need to realize something.
I’m bringing my wife!
Dave,
If she decides not to come, you better stay home as well. I hear things are going to get rowdy in NOLA. Something about bounties for the GCBers.
I’ve hired her as my bodyguard.
Dave,
We recently had Frank Page at our church. He hit a grand slam home-run. My wife didn’t slap him, but she served him a dinner of smoked ox-tails , baked chicken, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, and turnip greens. I don’t believe he ate the ox-tails so maybe she’ll slap him in
New Orleans :-).
BTW, ox-tails are a favorite meal of mine. You’ll have to eat some if I can convince you to come and preach for me.
Would love to try an ox-tail. Wow.
Frank actually mentioned his time at your place when he was with us!
I believe Howell stated he’s never eaten ox-tails either. You guys are in for a treat. I’ll email you later this week about a preaching date; sounds like I talked you or ox-tailed you into it :-).
I trust Frank enjoyed being with us as much as we enjoyed having him here. Based on your description of the audience response, the reaction at our place was very similar.
Now explain to me why White guys don’t eat ox-tails? That might explain why we’re having such a hard time integrating the
SBC :-).
I don’t think my local Wal-mart carries Ox-tails.
Doug,
You may have to go to a grocery store or “meat market” in the “hood” to find ox-tails.
I happen to know that you can buy ox tails in French Canadian markets up in Montreal for cheap . . . but the best recipes for French ox tail soup take many HOURS to prepare . . .
worth it, though
(I like to make the basic stock the day before I put everything together, so I can skim the fat)
caveat: some ox tail soup recipes call for the addition of sherry or port (but, you could boil the alcohol out of these wines but am not sure the flavor would keep the same . . . I have heard that the alcohol cooks out and the flavor stays . . . (unless you add more sherry when serving the soup at table)
DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR THIS . . . am NOT SURE the alcohol leaves and I don’t want anyone to get into trouble
Bon appetit, mes amis:
the French know how to prep cheap cuts of meat and eat well . . .
you can do a lot worse than a nice bowl of ox tail soup 🙂
Doug,
This is my last ox-tail comment because I feel as if– and actually have– I’ve hi-jacked David’s post. A man in my church who actually shops and smokes the ox-tails for my family and guests just informed me that the Hyper-Mart (Wal-Mart)–Arlington, Tx.(south Cooper st.), and Sam’s in Ft. Worth carry this delicacy.
My dad often bought and cooked them growing up in Pine Bluff, but I believe you are in Northwest, Arkansas, and the demographics in that part of the state as I recall it, may not demand ox-tails as the demographics of Pine Bluff would require them. Give me an advanced notice when you come this way and they’ll be waiting on you.
You can get ox-tails at local butchers in Arkansas, but I am not sure about Wal-Mart. We bought some one year as one of our challenge foods, when I was helping with a youth group event. I tried some and it was pretty good.
Dr. McKissic,
I’ll check when I’m in Little Rock. The Stuttgart Wal-mart is pretty limited on, well, everything–there are days they don’t have skim milk. Seriously.
So, if it’s beyond ground beef or pork chops, we tend to get it in Little Rock.
I’m in east-southeast Arkansas and the ethnic situation here is one for more serious consideration than today’s posts. It’s a challenge to encourage diversity, to say the least, because we still live in segregated towns. Not “this side and that side” but “this Zip Code and that Zip Code.”
We do have hog jowls like Grammy Hibbard used to cook, though.
Until this conversation, I didn’t know ox tails were edible.
Reminds me of brains and eggs. Wait till David finds out that there ain’t no road or path to the elite inner circle, that the final circle is one and only one and no room for another…for when the other gets in it, the first one is gone. We had the first president of the Executive Board to preach a revival and stay in our home. He was the last assistant to A.T.Robertson and had spoken with him about an hour and a half before the latter’s fatal heart attack. My wife and the first president, R.Paul Caudill, decided they were probably cousins (her maiden name was Caudill) and all of the Caudills, according to R. Paul, descend from two brothers who got ashore in Scotland after their Spanish Armada ship went down off the coast of Scotland circa 1588. They never went back to Spain for some reason, and their descendants came to America and headed for the Mountains of Western NC, Eastern Tn, Western Va., Western W. Va., and Eastern Ky. Well, any way even cousinship did not get yours truly into the inner circle any more than the fact with a noted name like mine (Willingham, there was one who was head of the FMB from 1892-1920, R.J.) and connections with other famous SBC families, e.g., Craigs, Middletons, Kemps, Phipps,
Bankstons, etc., did. Every time I thought I had made it to the inner circle, the sorry thing changed. Finally decided like C.S. Lewis that the thing wasn’t worth it. Wanted to be able to be around one group of church leaders. Lord always prevented it. Found out later, they were into hanky panky. Sometimes the Lord saves us from a fate worse than death. Best circle is the humble one of just walking with our Lord through life. What a glory He sheds on our way.
I SAW IT
You are lucky she didn’t hit you!
Luck has nothing to do with it.
Praise God for evangelism rallies!! I suspect that Dr. Page immediately turned his other arm to her. If you desire to someday join the ranks of SBC’s ruling elite and run with the big dogs at SBC-NOLA, keep that woman away from Dr. Mohler ;^).
That’s funny.
Wives have a way of providing such relief. Mine would never dream of slugging a VIP, but she slugs me on the arm all the time. And she gets away with it. Any woman who can tell you” “That’s what you’ve got!” Meaning a boy, when she was only 2-3 mos. pg., and there were no sonograms then. That woman can get away with anything, especially when that son turns out be a God-called preacher, and your dau. from a previous marriage calls her, “Mom.!” Them ladies from the hills of Kentucky can prepare a get-together for a bunch of faculty members, accompany you to a reception at the governor’s mansion in SC, be a Tupperware Manager, a Insurance salesperson, and do all sorts of things. “God does,” as Dr. Ernest R. Campbell wrote to me years ago, “restore to you the years that the canker worm has eaten.”
Dr. Campbell said “will” restore. I inadvertently changed it to “does,” but that is the realization of his encouraging letter of prophecy to me.