POST-THANKSGIVING, PART II
Thanksgiving this year was so much fun! Not only did we have delightful company, but it gave me a chance to do something I don't often get to do, and that's cook.
I love to cook! For me, it's so relaxing. I love to cook for other people and try new recipes. I learned to cook from watching cooking programs on public television as a young bride. Julia Child and others taught me knife skills and cooking techniques. Today, I still am a cooking show junkie, and with the internet, I have access to all those wonderful recipes.
Cooking appeals to the hands-on creativity in me, but I've learned that that creativeness needs to be kept under control. The most important cooking lesson I've learned is to make sure I have all the ingredients called for and to follow the recipe, to the letter.
Some of my worst creations have resulted from getting too creative, including making substitutions. Or I was impulsive, deciding to make the dish on the spur of the moment before checking my pantry for needed ingredients and ended up leaving something out because I didn't have it.
It's the same for other parts of my life. Creativity is one of my gifts. Oh, the ideas I can come up with! Unfortunately, one of the downsides of being a very creative person is implusiveness. It's a wonderful idea, so let's do it, now!!!
What happens is that I get all excited, put it in motion and it sinks like a lead duck on a pond.
Creativity, like my other gifts, is most effective when I've surrendered it to the lordship of Christ. When I surrender the idea to Jesus, go through the process of discernment, including checking to see if it's confirmed by others, the outcome is much better.
A recipe, I've found, doesn't stifle my creativity. It's a kind of discipline that frees me, once I've made it a few times, to be able to make appropriate substitutions and variations of the dish.
Discipline, that includes surrender and discernment, doesn't stiffle our gifts. It frees us for more joyful, effective, and Christ-centered ministry and living.
I love to cook! For me, it's so relaxing. I love to cook for other people and try new recipes. I learned to cook from watching cooking programs on public television as a young bride. Julia Child and others taught me knife skills and cooking techniques. Today, I still am a cooking show junkie, and with the internet, I have access to all those wonderful recipes.
Cooking appeals to the hands-on creativity in me, but I've learned that that creativeness needs to be kept under control. The most important cooking lesson I've learned is to make sure I have all the ingredients called for and to follow the recipe, to the letter.
Some of my worst creations have resulted from getting too creative, including making substitutions. Or I was impulsive, deciding to make the dish on the spur of the moment before checking my pantry for needed ingredients and ended up leaving something out because I didn't have it.
It's the same for other parts of my life. Creativity is one of my gifts. Oh, the ideas I can come up with! Unfortunately, one of the downsides of being a very creative person is implusiveness. It's a wonderful idea, so let's do it, now!!!
What happens is that I get all excited, put it in motion and it sinks like a lead duck on a pond.
Creativity, like my other gifts, is most effective when I've surrendered it to the lordship of Christ. When I surrender the idea to Jesus, go through the process of discernment, including checking to see if it's confirmed by others, the outcome is much better.
A recipe, I've found, doesn't stifle my creativity. It's a kind of discipline that frees me, once I've made it a few times, to be able to make appropriate substitutions and variations of the dish.
Discipline, that includes surrender and discernment, doesn't stiffle our gifts. It frees us for more joyful, effective, and Christ-centered ministry and living.
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