Week 5: John Knox
Character Traits: Courage, Love, Mercy/Forgiveness, Faithfulness, Humility
You may have heard the name of John Knox before, but do you know how great a part he played in shaping the Christian church?
Not much is known about John Knox’s childhood, and his personal life is a bit of a mystery to us, but after Jesus got a hold of his life, he made an impact on Christianity that would last eternally! As a young man, Knox attended the University of Saint Andrew’s and became a priest shortly after his graduation. Scotland’s primary religion during this time was Catholicism, but many were beginning to grow weary of the church’s constant abuse of its power and wealth–including John Knox. He was moved to take action when his close friend George Wishart was burned at the stake for his beliefs. After this terrible event, Knox passionately battled against the false worship of anything or anyone other than Christ. Knox faced much adversity for his faith. He was even forced to serve as a galley slave for the French for nineteen months. After he was released, Knox returned to Scotland in 1559 and continued to play a crucial role in establishing the Protestant Church—a church whose beliefs were founded on the truth of the Scriptures, not the twisted rules and rituals of Catholicism. A year after his return, Scotland adopted the Protestant faith as its state religion in 1560, which banned Catholic mass and abolished Roman Catholicism. It is because of the bold faith and valiant efforts of John Knox that many began to understand that eternal life is found only through the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ! It was through his example that many came to realize that they too can have a personal, intimate relationship with the God of the universe!
“The man who stands with God is always in the majority.”
― John Knox
Image credit: William Holl, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsMemory Verse: +25 bonus points
“And this is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent.”
Easy Recipe from the country of Scotland (+50 points): Sticky Toffee Pudding
This recipe is from https://www.tasteatlas.com/sticky-toffee-pudding/recipe
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 ½ cups plus 2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
1 ¼ cups pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE TOFFEE SAUCE
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
Preparation
Step 1/6
Set the oven to 350°F and start preparing the batter. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
Step 2/6
Sift the baking powder and 1 ½ cups of flour, then add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and an egg to the batter and blend. Now, add the rest of the flour mixture and beat until well-blended. Grease a 9X9-inch cake pan with oil.
Step 3/6
Combine dates and the remaining two tablespoons of flour in a separate bowl and toss them to make sure the dates are coated with flour, then finely chop them in a food processor. Transfer the chopped dates to a bowl and pour over them a cup of boiling water, then add to that baking soda and vanilla and stir.
Step 4/6
Blend the date mixture into the batter and transfer the mixture to a cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes until the center is dry. When done, remove from the oven and keep warm.
Step 5/6
To make the toffee sauce first melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then add to it brown sugar and heavy cream. Simmer for three minutes until the sauce gains a golden brown color.
Step 6/6
Now, preheat the broiler. Cut the still warm pudding into individual squares and cover each square with a spoonful of toffee sauce. Place under a broiler and wait until the sauce starts to bubble then remove from under the broiler and serve.
