Recipe for Success in 2011

I know that it's a stretch to make this post fit the food theme, but as I laid awake last night, I started to think about challenges that I could offer for 2011.  This is what came to my mind.

Don’t pray about things

There are things that the Bible is very clear about not doing.  God gave us the Top 10 list, but there are other mandates that He was also very clear about. These are things that we shouldn’t be praying about.  God has already been very clear.  It would be like a child asking permission to do something that a parent has already said, “No”, to.  There’s really no point.  God isn’t going to change His mind on those issues.  It would seem silly to pray, “God, I’m thinking about murdering someone.  I really need you to give me wisdom about Your will for this area of my life.”  Do you think God ever wants to just say, ”Duh”?  It is equally as silly to ask God’s wisdom and guidance for questions such as “I don’t feel like I want to be married anymore.  Is it ok if I get a divorce?”  “ I know that the person I am in love with isn’t a Christian, is it ok if I continue dating them anyway?”  “It would be more convenient if my boyfriend/girlfriend and I lived together.  Is that ok with you, God?”  “I really don’t feel like going to church.  God, are You ok with me just staying home again this week?”  God is pretty clear on issues like this.  You really don’t need to pray about it.  God has already given you His answer.

Complain about your life a lot on Facebook

We all have struggles.  We all have things in our lives that we wish were different.  Let me be really subtle here.  If you don’t like your circumstance, change them.  If you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude.  My challenge for your Facebook complaints is for every time you complain about your job, your spouse, your finances, etc., post two things that are positive about your life.  I think you will be surprised at how quickly your attitude changes.

Let go of people who you love

There are two different aspects of this challenge.  One is looking honestly at the relationships that you are in and determining whether or not they are healthy and God-honored.  This can be very difficult because our emotions have a tendency to override our sense of what constitutes healthy and God-honored.  I’m not just talking about dating relationships.  Friendships also need to be examined.  There comes a time when you have to let go, even though it’s hard.  Relationships of any kind are not meant to be one-sided, with only one person making an effort, or resulting in other relationships being cast aside.  Love of any kind should be an addition to existing relationships, not result in their exclusion.  As difficult as it may be, it may be time to let go of some of the people that you love.

The other aspect of this challenge is to let go of people that you love and give them to God.  There are people that will be in our lives forever, no matter what happens.  It’s hard when those people are struggling and you feel powerless to help them.  Let go of those people and give them to God.  He knows exactly what they need and will work in their lives.  What He allows to transpire in their lives to get their attention may be very difficult to watch, but continually take them to the throne of God and let Him handle it.

Talk about people behind their back

I really don’t like to hear people talk negatively about my administration.  It’s easy to sit in a place where you don’t know all the facts about a situation and make comments that are neither true nor helpful.  I figure that if you have a legitimate and helpful suggestion, go to that person and offer your help.  If not, keep your mouth closed. This needs to also apply to other areas.  There are times that discussion about an issue are necessary in order to try to help, but the attitude in which that discussion takes place is key to determining whether or not the discussion should be taking place.  If the attitude is one that revels in cutting a person apart with no attempt at trying to solve the problem, then the only person you should be talking about that person with is God.  It’s ok to talk behind their back to Him.

Stay in a relationship with someone who is trying to control you

Every year, I do a series of lessons about dating violence.  One of the areas that I stress is the level of control that a person has over your life.  If a person is telling you who you can hang out with and when, who you can and cannot talk to, where you can go and what you can do with your life, it is not a healthy relationship…cut and dried.  It makes me very sad to realize the number of people, regardless of age, that mistake this control as love or see it as “normal” in a relationship.  The only one that should have that level of control is God.  Stay in that relationship.

Put yourself in situation where your heart will get broken

Heartbreak is difficult and we try to avoid it, when possible, but I don’t think that we should.  There are times that heartbreak is the catalyst for change.

Bob Pierce, a Youth for Christ evangelist, wrote these words in the flyleaf of his Bible, "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."   Ask God to show you what breaks his heart.  Let those same things break your heart and be the motivation for how you live your life.  

Dirty Dishes

I don’t like doing dishes.  I was married to someone who did.  I guess we made a good match.  I never understood how my husband could like doing dishes…until tonight.

 For the past few days, all of my kids and grandkids have been home. Everyone, except for Justin and Allison, has stayed at my house.  That means 5 kids, 4 daughters-in-law, 1 son’s girlfriend, 6 grandchildren and myself are all under one roof.  That translates into a lot of food and a lot of dishes.  Today, after opening presents, my children spent the day with other family members.  I spent the afternoon cleaning up and catching up on dishes.  As I washed, my mind went back to a sign that always hung in my grandma’s kitchen. It said, “Thank God for dirty dishes.  They have a tale to tell.  While other folks go hungry, we’re eating very well.”  Even though I have to admit I wasn’t thinking about people who may be wondering where their next meal was coming from, I was thinking about the blessing that the dishes represented.  I had a house full of people that I love and the sound of children’s laughter filling the air.  I got to watch my children work together, play together, laugh together and love each other.  My granddaughter prayed for me to feel better when I fell victim to the bug that was being passed around the family.  The untouched snow that once filled my yard now shows evidence of children, big and small, playing.  There are toys everywhere you look, a mountain of towels that are waiting to be washed, a package of baby wipes waiting for the next diaper change, fingerprints and hidden crackers that I’m sure will be discovered for weeks to come. 

Yes, the dishes have a tale to tell.  They tell me that my family is home and that’s the best tale that I can think of.  Maybe my husband was on to something.  Maybe he knew the story that dirty dishes told.

Candy Cane Cookies

It’s that time of the year.  It’s time for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  There are many different ways that people choose to recognize the significance of this time of year.  It may be giving gifts to those they care about.  It may be putting up a tree that may symbolize us reaching to heaven or life’s triumph over death.  The common traditions are observed by people all over the world. However, each family often develops its own traditions that bring the holiday new meaning.   One of the traditions that has been a part of my children’s lives and now mine, is making candy cane cookies.  These cookies feature a sugar cookie dough that been divided into 2 parts.  One part is flavored and the other is colored red and flavored.  Small ropes of the dough are twisted into the candy cane form and baked.  The candy cane has a history of religious symbolism.  The color, the shape, and the stripes all served to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas… the gift of Jesus.

I have to admit that the cookies are quite tasty, but they are so much more.  The candy cane cookies represent the life that my children had before they knew me.  I believe that making the candy cane cookies was an activity that my children shared with their mother throughout their childhood.  Now, for my children, the candy cane cookies take them to a time and place when their mother was with them and what a wonderful person she was.  A cookie serves to ground them in the rich heritage of knowing God personally.  The cookie certainly represents the gift of Jesus Christ, but it also represents the gift that Kathy gave to me…her children.  Yeah, it’s just a cookie, but every time I taste one, I say a silent  ”Thank you” to God for the gift of Jesus Christ and “Thank you” to Kathy for the gifts of Bob, Jeramy, Andy, Corey, and Crystal.

Lessons from a cow

In a couple of days, my Foods classes will finish up their unit on beef.  One of the things that I impress on the students is that it is important to know what part of the animal  a cut comes from and what those muscles do. A basic rule is that pieces of meat from the loin and the rib are tender and everything else is not so tender.  The reason that the rib and loin are tender is that they are muscles of suspension.  They pretty much just hang around.  Other muscles are muscles of locomotion and do the work which makes them tougher.  During the cooking process, muscles of suspension can handle a dry heat and a higher temperature without getting tough.  Locomotion muscles need either a precooking process such as marinating, grinding, pounding, or cubing in order to handle dry heat.  Otherwise, they require a moist heat method of cooking such as braising or stewing.

As we walk with God, the more we “hang around” Him, the more we remain tender.  When the heat is applied, we can handle it and become more usable.  When we start trying to do things our own way or run from the things that God wants for us, we become tough and it takes more work and longer time to make us usable again.

Hang out with God.  Be tender to how He wants to use you.  Avoid the pain that often occurs in the tenderizing process.

Marinating

 I went to church some time ago and heard a single word used in a prayer that caught my attention. The word was, “marinate.” Being a Foods teacher, this word piqued my interest. I have to admit that I had trouble concentrating on the sermon as I rolled this word around in my mind.

The word was used as a young lady prayed. She had shared some thoughts about God’s promises. She was very nervous about speaking in front of people, but was obedient and shared what God laid on her heart. As she closed her thoughts, she prayed that our hearts would marinate in the word of God.

I thought about the word, marinate. It’s a vocabulary word in my class and more than likely you would find it on a test about kitchen basics. This leads me to my first thought. Marinating is not a complex process. It involves a mixture of seasoning, liquids, some of which contain some sort of acid, and a piece of meat. In this process, the cook and the marinade do all the work. All the meat has to do is sit there. What can we learn from that? There are times when God just wants to overwhelm us with His presence. All we need to do is allow it to happen. When I marinade, I usually use a plastic bag. This allows me to eliminate most of the air that would interfere with the process. When we marinate in God, we need to shut out those things that would interfere with the process. I told a friend recently that perhaps they needed a DAWG. (Day Alone With God) Removing the distractions and concentrating solely on God can do wonders to accomplish the marinating process.

What is the purpose of marinating? It is used to improve the flavor and tenderize a piece of meat that might otherwise be somewhat tough and lacking flavor. When we marinate in God, He improves our flavor and tenderizes our hearts. The improved flavor makes us usable by God to reach those around us. It was the tenderizing aspect that really made me stop and think. There are so many things that toughen our hearts. Life throws us curve balls. People hurt us. Our schedules get too busy. We forget to immerse ourselves in God’s word. We want our own way. All these things toughen us and can make us unusable by God. The only way for us to return to a point of usefulness is to allow God to marinate our hearts. This is not always an enjoyable process. In the culinary world, the acid in the marinade breaks down the connective tissues in the meat over a period of time. Marinating in God takes time and may result in the painful breaking down of those things that make us tough. It’s not going to happen with a 5 minute devotional at the end of the day when you’re so exhausted that you can’t concentrate on what God is trying to say. It’s not going to be a result of reading the Bible out of a sense of duty. It means immersing yourself in prayer and allowing God to lead your reading of His Word. It means allowing God to talk to your heart and letting go of those things that toughen you. It’s not easy. We like to hang on to those things. Even those things that are painful. We try to find security in painful experiences, just because they are familiar. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting them. It means no longer letting them define who we are and who we can become. Marinating in God means letting go of the power and control that we have fooled ourselves in thinking that we have.

The end result of marinating is a product that can be used to nourish those we come in contact with. There are a couple of individuals, in addition to myself, that I am praying God will begin a marinating process on. Out of fairness to them and those around them, I won’t give any specifics. If you are led by God, I ask that you pray about these situations. First I pray that they will allow themselves to be marinated. The hurts from the past and need for power and control have toughened their hearts. This has resulted in some very toxic situations. I also ask that you pray for me as I continue to allow myself to me marinated. It is my hope that God can somehow allow me to “share” my marinade with these individuals.

Well, there’s your “cooking” lesson for today. Next time you get out the marinade in an effort to season and tenderize a piece of meat, I hope this comes to your mind and you will remind yourself to immerse yourself in God and allow your heart to be marinated.

Let us bow our heads.....

At the beginning of meals, we pause to say grace.  We take the time to thank God for what He has provided for us.  Whether it's simple or complex, the basic message stays the same.  Thank  you.  Grace doesn't stop there though.  In a few simple sentences, we can sum up our relationship with God.  Let me illustrate..

Come, Lord Jesus....We invite God to be a part of our lives,  He is a gentleman.  He will not force Himself on us. It is conscious free will to have Him as a part of our lives.
Be our guest....How do you treat guests in your home?  Do you ignore them until you need them for something?  Do you blame them when something in your life goes wrong as a result of your own choices?  When we ask God to be our guest, we need to treat Him with the honor and respect that He deserves.
Let this food...God provides for our needs.  We may not always recognize His provision and it may come in ways that we don't expect, but God is there.
to us be blessed....We must recognize that everything is a gift from God and a blessing to us.  We are nothing without Him. Just the act of praying serves to remind us that we are totally dependent on God.  The food, the ability to prepare it, the people that eat with us are all because of God

There are many table prayers.  However you pray, be mindful of your dependence on God, the wonderful things that He has blessed you with, and how you can use those blessings in service to Him.


As my sister-in-law, Holly, prayed..... "Bless this food to our bodies and our bodies to your service."