There Are Benefits of Sitting In The Kitchen

It’s the fall of the year and we all know what that means.  It’s time to cook.  We’ve got school parties to provide cupcakes, cakes and pies.   There are neighborhood and friendly gatherings that we provide candies and treats and let’s not forget the church functions to which we take casseroles and soups.  My goodness, fall and winter is just full of festive gatherings.  We are constantly in the kitchen preparing for all of those wonderful times with family and friends. 

As you might guess, I’m sitting in the kitchen trying to put my “thoughts on a page” and Donna is in the process of making cupcakes for a fall youth function our church is hosting.  As I’m working on my notes and Donna is busy stirring and whipping the icing, it happened.  All of a sudden I’m interrupted with this smell.  It was such a delicious smell…chocolate cake.  The aroma coming from the oven filled the air with such a strong smell of chocolate… it is wonderful.  It was as if you could taste it without having it in your mouth.

I sat there inhaling the aroma and smacking my lips trying to taste the air as Donna continues whipping the icing mix.  The sound of the blender isn’t bothering me, but the smell of the icing mixed with the aroma of the cake baking in the oven is killing me.  My stomach is growling and my concentration is beginning to diminish.  I begin to ask myself, should I go into the bedroom and try working in there?  Then the most awesome thing happened.  Donna took one of the beaters from the blender and held it in front of my face.  Oh my goodness! The beater was full of cream cheese icing and the flavor of vanilla began to fill my mouth…and I haven’t even tasted the icing yet.  I asked the stupid question; is that for me?  The response was music to my ears and heaven to my mouth….YES! It tasted great!

Sitting there eating the icing, my mind went back to when I was a kid and I would sit at the counter watching my mom and grandmother cook.  Many times they would hand me a sample of what it was they were cooking.  From time to time, my mom would make a batch of no-bake cookies.  As she would drop the mixture of chocolate and oatmeal onto a cookie sheet to cool, she would drop some on a paper plate for me…good stuff, good times and great memories. 

Being in the kitchen, talking to the cook has its benefits.  You get to see the process of mixing the ingredients.  You learn of what special sauce is used to make the casserole taste so great.  You smell the aroma of food as it cooks and you see the results of the preparation before others.  Not only do you get to benefit from seeing, smelling and learning, but you get to sample some of the most delicious foods made.   Oh the joys of sitting in the kitchen. 

Not everyone wants to be in the kitchen because of different reasons.  Some think it’s too hot, the steam from the pots will fog up their glasses, the sound of kitchen appliances will drown out the sound of their voice or that they don’t have time.  For whatever reason there are relatives and friends who want to sit in other places, doing other things rather than sit there and talk to the cook.  They would rather be involved in other activities and miss out on opportunities to sample some of the most delicious foods.  Sure, they’ll get to enjoy the meal or the dessert at a later time, but they miss a great opportunity to developing a closer relationship, not to mention memories, with the cook. 

Sometimes I think people look at prayer in this manner.  They’ll get to enjoy time with God at church, but they miss the time to develop that closer, deeper relationship with Him through prayer.  By spending time in the kitchen with the cook we were “rewarded” with knowledge, insight and best of all small taste of food.  By spending time in prayer with God we’re “rewarded” with the same…knowledge, insight and small taste of His blessings.  Sure, we’ll get to experience His presence in a wonderful way come Sunday, but how special it is when He provides one of His precious blessings Tuesday morning all because we chose to spend time with Him in prayer.

You can’t go wrong when you spend time in the kitchen with God.  Although the sample of no-bake cookie dough was awesome….God’s sample of what He has for us later is far better.

Just my thoughts on a page…

Practice Makes Perfect

Last month Donna and I had the privilege to attend an amazing marriage retreat.  We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast in Jefferson, Texas, that had a beautiful antique bedroom suite.  On the walls of our room were old pictures of people from the 1800’s and letters from previous guest that had stayed in the room we occupied. 

The main house was more of a museum than a home.  It was filled with old antique furniture and stained glass, an old piano set in one of the rooms with old worn song books resting on top.  One of the bedrooms had an old hide a way bed with a mirror on the bottom.  When the bed was folded up it looked more like a large armoire than a bed.  It was a beautiful piece of furniture.

Okay, enough about the furniture and the house.  Let’s talk about the event and the activities involved.  What an amazing time we had.  We went on a scavenger hunt and bought little trinkets that reminded us of our family, our childhood, our first date and our wedding day.  We had a blast walking around this little antique town, talking to each other and just relaxing.  We met some pretty amazing people, heard some really inspiring stories and participated in an activity that we’ve never done before at a marriage retreat. 

This activity required skills in listening, communicating, support, leading, and last but not least, trust.  Aren’t these the skills we need in our marriages today?  This one event allowed us to use each one of these skills at the same time.  While we were participating, we discussed how our marriage could benefit from these same “steps”, if we would take the time to “practice”.   I know the suspense is killing you, so I’ll tell you…we were introduced to ballroom dancing!

Ballroom dancing, how can ballroom dancing help you in your marriage?  It helps in each one of the categories I mentioned earlier.  Listening, communicating what you’re hearing, leading your partner in the right direction, guiding each other around obstacles that may be in the way, supporting each other by holding them up, and trusting each other with each step made.

It was a funny sight to see Donna and me trying to learn the steps of ballroom dancing.  I’ll briefly give you an idea of what we looked like.  Who remembers the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine started dancing?  Do you remember what George had to say about it when he was explaining the scene to Jerry?  He said, “It was more like a full body dry heave set to music”, well that was us.  We were off beat, Donna was trying to look over her shoulder, I’m looking down at my feet, we’re both trying to count and walk at the same time…it was awful, just awful.  But you know what we did?  We stopped, we laughed, we caught our breath, and we refocused and started over.  By the end of the class we were swaying, twisting and turning like we were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.   Okay, that’s stretching it a little, but we did get better. 

As we stopped, which we did numerous times, we would reflect on what the instructor taught us.  Count the steps, listen to the beat, and let the husband lead and the wife follow.  That was probably the hardest thing for two very independent people to do.  I wanted to lead, but Donna wanted to know where she was going so she was constantly looking over her shoulder.  This caused us to get out of step and walk on each other’s feet.   While I was trying to lead, I would have to slow down because other people were in my way.  I had obstacles that I had to move around, but when I slowed down I would lose the beat and have to stop.  But you know what?  We weren’t the only ones out of step.  There were others who were struggling with the same issues.  It was then that it hit me.  Everyone is dealing with something in their life that affects their marriage.  But you know what I saw that really amazed me?  Not one couple split up over the issue.  Each couple that had a problem did the exact same thing Donna and I did.  They stopped, laughed, refocused and started over. 

I’ve got more to say on this subject, so be looking for part two.

Just my thoughts on a page…

Please share...It will make a difference.

I know this is an article that most will not want to read and may chose not to, but I would hope that those of you who do read it will pass it along to others.  I want to see people live life to its fullest.  The negative thoughts and deception that the enemy is putting into the minds of our youth and young to middle aged adults really bothers me. 

I know that suicide is a subject we don’t talk about, but it’s a real problem that is affecting too many of our families today.  It’s my opinion that it should be discussed in our homes, schools and churches, mainly because I don’t think people realize the finality of the act.   Some are looking for attention and don't know how to ask, while others are just looking for a way out and don't know any other way. 

According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, suicide is now among the top ten leading causes of death in the US.  Ladies and Gentleman, that’s terrible news.  Also, according to the latest statistics from the same source, suicide has been on the rise since 2005.  Over 30,000 people a year take their life because they seem to think they are better off dead.  What’s even more disturbing is that for every 1 suicide, there are up to 20 attempts.  Folks, that’s a lot of people that are unhappy and thinking the wrong way.  Ending life that way isn’t the way out, starting over with a new life is…I’ll explain later.

I’m not sure how many of you out there have been affected by this dreadful act, but I know of a few that it’s affected personally, including myself.  I’m not writing this to bring back any of the hurt or the pain, but I do want to bring awareness to people that do read this blog.  Awareness of what, you may ask.  Awareness that there are people that we work with, go to school with,  hang out and even go to church with that are struggling.  They’re trying their best to deal with life and the struggles that it brings to the best of their ability and in their eyes the best way to deal with it is to take themselves out of it.  Friends, that's the wrong way to think. 

Here’s my question…What are we doing about it?  Maybe the better question is, why don't we start doing something called sharing?  I claim to be a Christian, but I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t done all I can do to show others that there is a better way.  I haven’t done everything in my power to share Christ and what He has done to make my life livable.  I know that He has given me a second, third and even a fourth chance.  My life isn't perfect and it's not without mistakes or mishaps, but I know where to go and who to go to when it gets too tough.  I've got to share that place and that person more with others who may be dealing with a heavy load. 

I know if we lead people to Christ and show them that once they give themselves to Him, He can make things new.  I think the Bible says in 2 Corinthians if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  My thinking is talking more about the great things He has done in our life will allow others to see that living for Christ is far better than living for man.  Even if that man happens to be self; living for God is much better and easier.  There is a better way; we just have to show them.  In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  I've run to that rest many times and I know many of you have too.  Starting life over with Christ is the best thing I've ever done.  Sharing that revelation with others can do so much, if we'll just do it. 

Luke tells us that if we being evil know how to give good gifts unto our children: how much more will the heavenly Father give us the Holy Spirit to them that ask.  John 14 tells us that the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in His name, shall teach us and bring things to our remembrance that He has told us.  To me that means if we ask God for help He’ll do it.  If we ask God for comfort, He’ll send it.  If we ask for guidance, He’ll show us the way.  The toughest thing for someone to do is to overcome self and ask.  That’s why we need to be willing to poke our nose into their business and offer our experiences and testimonies of how God has helped us in our painful times.  We can't be whimpy.  We can't let the fear of "what will they think of me" be a reason why we let someone struggling with an issue slip by us.  Not ever again will I let a person, whom I know or don't know, go by without letting them know of a better way.  Thats a promise.

The statics say that there are signs people show before they decide to take drastic measures.  Some of the signs include, low mood, a sense of hopelessness, increased alcohol or drug use, giving away possessions and expressing outwardly a desire to die.  There are dozens more that I don't have time to share here, but we need to ask God daily to make us more sensative to those around us that are hurting.  Open our eyes to those around us in distress and let us see their pain.  Open our ears to hear the cry for help in the voices of those who are troubled.  And to let us see and hear the signs of those who want a way out.  To give us the boldness to share with others the experience of His Spirit and comfort that's brought us through.

Don’t let someone who is showing these signs pass by without taking notice and asking questions.  Take action and share Christ…remember, He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…Do all that you can to bring hope into the life of a person who may seem hopeless. 

He helped us....what makes us think He won't help them?

Just my thoughts on a page.