Lent
– Day 17
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen
carefully to my wise counsel. Proverbs 5:1
Have you ever tried to get a six-year old
to listen to your advice? They have
their own agenda and ideas. Is being a non-conformist at that age typical? I
think so. To convince them that they must listen and obey is a challenge for
any parent—especially for those with a strong-willed child, like my younger
grandson. Listen, pay attention…obey. Those are not words he is anxious to hear
or to which he wants to respond. For a six-year old he thinks the wise council
is already in his own head—he has
his agenda and his ideas. Are we grownups like that, too? Do we go head-strong
into our day with our own agenda—not pursuing God’s will? We all know that we
need to stop at the beginning of the day—pause and get into God’s Word…seek His
will for us moment by moment. But do we always do that? Guess I am looking in
the mirror here…preaching to the choir…to myself. I am condemning my own
actions because I haven’t followed my plan of reading a few chapters of the
Bible every morning. Is my excuse of little ones demanding my time really a
viable excuse? No. I could get up a little earlier while they are still
sleeping so that I could have more of a quality quiet time. That is just what I
need to do. Is the wisdom that you are giving to others the same wisdom that
you are applying to your life? I challenge you to look at your own wise counsel
to yourself.
Prayer
~ Oh Lord, counsel us as You guide our hearts, thoughts and actions that we
would be filled with wisdom and thus make good choices.
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
One of my favorite desserts is a variety of
cheeses and fruit—usually thinly sliced apples. There are so many cheeses
available. We lived in Okinawa for a
while and the Japanese there would frequently serve sliced oranges, apples, or Asian
pears for dessert. When we went on a European River cruise one of the dessert
options was assorted cheeses with fruits and nuts. I think that is when I fell
in love with cheese and fruit. I also like a nice slice of cheddar cheese on
warm apple pie. It may seem a little weird, but if you speak nicely to the
order staff you can even get a slice of cheese on those little apple desserts
at McDonald's. That’s desperate for a connoisseur’s dessert.
For a real taste test dessert course I’ve
learned that you should serve three different cheeses—no more than that—so that
your guests are not overwhelmed and the cheeses can be truly enjoyed. The
cheeses should be served at room temperature. One of the trio
should be a soft cheese, like a brie or Savarin. Serve it with some honey or caramelized
nuts. Another cheese should be a hard cheese—like aged Gouda. A third variety
could be a blue or Roquefort type cheese. Any of the varieties could be made
from sheep, goat or cow’s milk. Serve fruit— fresh sliced apples, pears, or
blueberries—or even dried fruit such as unsulphured apricots or prunes—stewed in
a nice port wine. Serve a soft cheese like ricotta with fruit chutney or fruit
compote and nut bread. One of my favorites is a blueberry white cheddar cheese
served with some almonds or pecans. Cheeses make a great dessert—be creative
and give them a try and in the process educate your palate. Actually, you’ll
want to sniff your cheeses before you taste them. Our noses really tell us more
about the taste of food than our tongue. Be sure to touch and visually examine the
cheeses, too. Make notes of the cheeses you like and don’t like. Enjoy the
process of discovering cheese as a dessert. It is an age old food that God
inspired and David took to his brothers when they were fighting the
Philistines. David likely had some cheese for breakfast the day he fought
Goliath. One day Jesse said to David,
"Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and
carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their
captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how
they are doing." 1 Samuel 17:17-18.
Enjoy some cheese soon for dessert…or any time
of day. It is a good source of calcium that will facilitate your brain
synapses. You never know when you’ll have to face Goliath—or need to share some
wisdom with a loved one. You want to be thinking clearly. Eat cheese.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm
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