Friday, April 25, 2014

Not by Chance

Bread. It is basic. You mix flour, water, and salt; let the resulting dough sit for a while, heat it in an oven or over a fire, and the resulting product is one of the oldest and most popular foods around the world. In spite of its few simple basic ingredients; bread comes in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, textures, colors, and flavors.
Fresh bread is prized for its aroma, texture, and taste. James Beard—American chef and father of American gastronomy—wrote, “Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods.” If you have had the privilege of tasting a slice of bread fresh from the oven, you know what he means.
Unfortunately, most people think of those slices of soft, gummy, pale, tasteless squares when they hear the word, “bread.” It is a chemically engineered product that has been designed to be produced as quickly and as uniformly as possible—and to stay “fresh” on the shelf for weeks. A leading artisanal baker has said, “I don’t think there’s any reason to make bread fast. I don’t think it’s healthy.”
Instead he is exploring ways to produce loaves with a dark crust and a deep flavor. His process brings out “nuances that otherwise would not be obtainable if you don’t take the time.” He is pursuing a craft which calls for the best ingredients, natural leavening, and radical freshness.
My grandfather was a baker. He owned his own bakery when my mother was a child. She told us stories of time she spent in the bakery while she was growing up.
While I was still in my teens, I became fascinated with baking bread. What I learned early on was that in order to produce that “fundamentally satisfying” loaf of bread, you have to pay attention to the process. It does not happen by accident. There are many different ways and a variety of ingredients you can use to produce a loaf you are proud to share with others; but they all require a measure of care and attention.

Paul urges the community of believers in Rome to allow God to transform them into the kind of people who live lives that please God. It is process that requires care and attention. It is a process that takes time.  But if you will commit yourself to the process, you will find there is nothing more satisfying. God is inviting you to begin the process.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Shining Light on the Solution

While similar maxims may have developed independently and some attribute it to U.S. presidents from Lincoln to Reagan: a Jesuit Priest named Father Strickland probably deserves primary credit for coining this aphorism: “I have observed, throughout life, that a man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it.”
This claim is based on a diary entry dated September 21, 1863 written by Sir Mountstuart E. Grant Duff and multiple attributions thereafter. Duff recorded the quote after an evening spent at the house of the Rev. C.K. Paul where Father Strickland was also a guest. The diary of Duff—who was a Scottish politician and held important administrative posts in India—was published in 1897.
No matter who came up with this maxim, I do appreciate the variation which has been associated with President Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” However it is expressed, it is a powerful reminder that the key to great accomplishments is not focusing on yourself—and especially not trying to make sure everyone else is focusing on you; but to focus on the task at hand and the resources available to get the job done.
It is tempting to let your personality, your pride, your position, and your particular predilections distract you from seeing the powerful potential for making significant progress when it comes to many of the problems you face. You can fail to see the potential in the people who share the problems with you. You can even begin to believe others are the cause of your difficulties and begin to treat them like enemies. I guess that is the reason I am also fond of another proverb: “Fix the problem, not the blame.”
Where do you focus when you face a challenging situation—when things don’t go the way you think they should? As a believer you have the power to focus your attention on what pleases God—on what is good and right and true. Commit yourself to clearing the distractions and to seeing the power God provides to accomplish great things in partnership with his people.