Day 301- A Family Favorite First

Laura announced that we were having Stromboli for supper tonight.  That is a rare dish that everyone in the family loves a lot.  The whole family was excited about it.  She made one and as she was about to make the second one, I asked if I could make it.  I made a Stromboli for my family as my "first" today.

This is not hard for people who cook to do.  However, it you get past cereal and toast, I don't really cook it.  OK, I do the pull the frozen things (chicken tenders, pizza, pizza rolls, chicken wings, etc.) out of the freezer and see how long it needs to cook in the microwave.  You can cook a lot that way.  It may not be very good, but you can cook a lot.  I also grill steaks, but no real culinary skills at all.

Laura told me to crack an egg into a bowl.  I'm no expert there, but I managed to get the egg in the bowl with no shell. I considered that a success.  I sprinkled oregano on top of the egg and whipped it with a fork.  Laura was able to show me a more efficient way to whip an egg with a fork.  Who knew?

Then, I had to defrost some bread and stretch it.  It seems they would sell this already stretched. Once you get it stretched out to the right size, you layer cheese and meat on it.  After that you fold it over. This is harder to do than it sounds because you can get holes in it and the inside goodies will leak out when it cooks.  You also take your hand and dip the egg/oregano mixture and rub it on the inside and outside. There were a few other steps but you get the idea. Then, we cooked it in the oven for about a half an hour.

The family loved it.  Of course, it was no big accomplishment. It was fun to cook with Laura.  Joel saw me and had to come and watch. He likes to laugh at his Daddy when he's learning something new. Rather than just reading or something while Laura cooked, the year of "firsts" had me doing something with the family that turned out to be more fun than usual. 

When I say that I cooked the Stromboli, that is probably stretching it just a bit.  Laura showed me every step.  She told me what to do at each step. If she did not tell me pretty quick, I would say, "What do I do now?"  I knew she knew how to do this and I did not. 

If we want to follow Jesus closely, one great attribute to have is humility.  Humility is not thinking lowly of yourself, but it is recognizing that there are some things that others do much better than you do. Humility is not being ashamed to ask, "What do I do now?"  Or, "How do I do this?"  There are so many Christians who have never been discipled to:

• Have a meaningful alone time with God
• Share their faith
• Read the Bible
• Be a godly husband or wife
• Be a godly parent
• Grow in their likeness to Jesus

Yet, they probably know someone who does know how to do one or more of these things.  Why not simply ask?  It would help the person asking and be a blessing to the one being asked.  What a great conversation might follow if a younger Christian said to a more mature Christian, "I've noticed that you have a really strong, godly family. Would you be willing to have lunch with me twice a month and teach me some things about that?" Or, they could ask about prayer, Bible study, witnessing, etc.

Jesus spent much of His time with 12 men. He also spent time with larger groups and big crowds, but the majority of His time was spent pouring into the lives of the 12. That is still a great way to learn how to follow Jesus. In a day that esteems big crowds and something of a Christian celebrity status, don't miss the opportunity of sitting down with someone that is a little further along in their relationship with Jesus than you are and simply asking a few questions. It might be life changing. It certainly has for me.

So grateful for my mentors in the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Jeff Miller
2. Bill Bright's transferable concepts (great discipleship tools God used in my life; feel free to google it
3. Stromboli