Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso.
(Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.)
~Spanish Proverb
(Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.)
~Spanish Proverb
With children's church being canceled, because the people in charge of it had other obligations with the teens at a regional weekend get-a-way, our pastor had planned a timely sermon to involve the children who would be remaining in the church service. It was a good plan, but unfortunately with a very small church, just a one or two families missing can have a very big effect on the numbers, resulting with the Princess being the only child in the church for service.
The pastor had two bowls and two boxes, one was a brownie mix and the other mac-n-cheese. Now, the funny part was watching the pastor trying to get answers—that is, the answers he wanted—out of the Princess, who has never yet seen anyone make brownies from a box, so this really was a totally foreign concept to the child. If you can imagine the man asking her what else was needed to make brownies and she listing some ingredients that would not be needed because they would already be included in the box, you still would only get just part of the picture. She was fine on the wooden spoon for stirring and measuring spoons and cups part, thankfully. At one point, she said rather loudly and with a serious conviction that he "had better get a cookbook." I was practically on the floor at that point. I did not know whether I should be embarrassed because she lacked the knowledge of boxed mixes having instructions on them or proud because I knew she was not that familiar with box mixes, because we eat more fresh foods and bake from scratch. Such strange contradictory feelings!
At least the lady sitting behind me understood my daughter's dilemma knowing a bit about our lifestyle. We do get organic mac-n-cheese in a box to have on hand because the Princess loves it and can make it herself at this point, but I rarely ever look at the instructions and we add ingredients not listed on it, like yogurt instead of milk, and broccoli, peas, or edamame. Still, if he had referred to the mac-n-cheese more than the brownies, my daughter probably could have been more cooperative to his purpose.
I was not much help either. When he was trying to make a point about needing to cut the brownies and use a spatula to remove them from the baking pan, he said that we would not just put our fingers into the pan to grab chunks of brownies out to eat them that way.... "Oh, but we could!" I heard blurted out and then realized I was the one who had said it...yes, I am nearly shameless when it comes to brownies!
In my defense, the pastor should have known bringing up brownies in the sermon was risky at best with me in the congregation. We had just had a conversation about my terrible brownie addiction when I was asked to cut the brownies at his home on Resurrection Day. There I was with six other adults and one child (my own), who were busy doing other stuff, and one entire pan of brownies right there in my hands! My eyes glazed over, my palms sweated, and all I could think of was how to secret away the delightful, rich, cocoa treats for myself....later it was mentioned how surprised they were at the discipline I displayed in only allowing myself to eat one after being so candid in my confession.
It was rather difficult to focus on the point of the sermon, with the thought of brownies in the back of my mind (not back far enough), but it was about just as we need to be thoroughly equipped to prepare food in the kitchen we also need to be well equipped in our Christian walk. He even, quite nicely, worked in my daughter's unexpectedly strong advice by relating a cookbook to the Bible. Still, the Princess came away disappointed because the pastor did not intend to actually make any brownies (even though the kitchen is right there) and, sharing the feeling, I have to no response to that.
~ My Lord, thank you for chocolate and a pastor who can make a sermon using it. ~
