Food Bank Diet for Two, Part 1: Contents

During the summer of 2012 my family used the contents of a food hamper meant for five persons to make our meals for several days in a row.  This year, instead of forcing my children to go along with this plan, just my husband and I will take up the challenge of eating what was given out on July 28th, 2014 at the food bank where he works.  Using the list given by my husband, I spent $59.66 to purchase the equivalent of the food hamper today. As we did last time, the only things we will use that are not on the list below are 1) margarine 2) brown sugar and 3) flour.

Shopping List:
5 pounds of potatoes
1 can of condensed soup
2 sweet red peppers
2 small heads of broccoli
1 bunch of green onions
7 navel oranges
4 apples
1 can beans and sauce
1 box of whole wheat pasta (macaroni)
2 tall tubs (650 grams) of yogurt
8-pack of drinkable yogurt
small tub of creamed coconut milk
2.5 kg chicken caccatiore pre-made dinner*
loaf of bread
package of 8 hamburger buns
1 carton (1 L) milk
3 cups rolled oats
600 grams luncheon meat
500 grams turkey sausage patties
Package of lemon cream cookies
1.75 L orange juice
6 eggs
250 grams grated cheese
head of iceberg lettuce
small can of vegetables

*I could not find anything in the store to match this description, so we will do without this item.

First challenge: find out what I can do with creamed coconut milk.  Then, the diet starts tomorrow.

Power Parable: Mustard Seed

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matthew 13:31-32, NIV)

[Pickling spices, including mustard seeds.  Photo purchased from kristinpeereboom.com photography]

   Anyone who gardens knows that planting it is a deliberate process that is done with little fanfare.  When we are finished placing tiny seeds in the dark soil, we need to mark the place in some way because it does not appear much different than before we started.  Jesus' emphasis in the parable is that the seed is small.  But the fact that it is a seed deserves a bit more discussion.  A plastic bead or a small grain of sand or salt in a field would not yield anything like the results of the mustard seed.  The seed has an inherent power built into it.  In this minuscule wrapping is a genetic structure that will unfold into a plant that can rival a tree in one growing season. Mustard bushes can exceed the height of professional basketball players!
   The kingdom of God starts small but keeps growing, through God's unstoppable power.  This growth is not about making a name for itself but for the flourishing of society.  Just as wild birds perch in the mustard bush for the shade and seeds it affords, so wherever the kingdom of God appears people in proximity ought to reap its benefits and blessings in terms of care, respect and freedom.
   This is true on the large scale as Jesus' band of first followers have multiplied over generations to touch each continent on our planet.  But on the smaller scale of a particular time and place, the mustard seed principle is also evident in these ways and more:

• The hidden but deliberate prayers of faithful followers of Jesus Christ on both sides of the Iron Curtain eventually resulted in the dramatic fall of the Berlin Wall and various oppressive regimes.  People regained their freedom.
• The pattern of everyday faithfulness as a parent, that often goes on behind closed doors, (generally speaking) yields a mature child ready to go out on his or her own.  This person can take up a vocation for the benefit of society as a whole.  In moments when early forms of maturity shine forth, I've been taken aback with the rhetorical, "Where did you come from?"
• The quiet, purposeful work of a linguist trying to put an oral language into writing bears fruit in a written language, giving honour to a unique culture and showing its people that God's Word does not have to remain foreign to them.

Power Parable: The Good Samaritan

   I'm beginning a new series about the parables of Jesus and how they confront us with a new vision concerning power.  Power has become a "bad word" among many because of its abuse in so many contexts, but I am learning from Andy Crouch's latest book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power that power can be a gift if it is received and used for the benefit of others.

   The phrase "Good Samaritan" has a life of its own today even if the people who use it are not familiar with its source in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 10.  Here we read the full account of just a few unnamed characters:

• Robbers, whose power comes from stealth and from banding together
• the Traveler, who begins with the power and purpose to walk from one city to another and ends up completely powerless after the attack: wounded, lacking clothes and money
• the Priest & Levite, who come on the scene separately with the power of status and religiosity
• the Samaritan, with his donkey, who is considered racially inferior and a cultural foe.

   On the hierarchy of power, the Samaritan comes last.  Certainly, as a human being each character is invested with "the ability to make something of the world" [1].  However, the wounded traveler has lost this as the result of the robbers' choice to "take" something of the world; destruction instead of construction.  The religious folks refuse to get involved at all.   Strikingly, it is the despised man who decides "to make something" better in the world.  Using his assets--a donkey, oil, wine and currency--he restores another human being, a fellow image bearer.

   Power does not, first of all, arise from one's position in society or one's level of wealth.  Power is inherent in being human, whoever we are and wherever we are.  With eyes open to what God has placed before us, we daily have opportunities to use our talents, resources, time, and our very selves to enable others in this world to flourish.
 
[1] This is Andy Crouch's definition of power, given on page 17 of the book named above.

Two Narratives

   This poem springs from ideas shared in a sermon by Pastor John M. entitled "God is Provider."

Economics is based on scarce resources
Supply and demand are its driving forces.
"There's not enough to go around--
Take what you can while it can be found."
"What you want is more and more;
Fill each cupboard and each drawer."
"Without drive you will miss out
Be prepared, like a good boy scout."
"College is expensive; retirement will await;
Use all your assets to accumulate."

                                                      A different way to see the earth

Begins in the wonder of our birth.

Parents, milk, a bed and care,

Clothes and food enough to share.

Neighbors smile and stop to chat;

The church puts out its welcome mat

With a new vision of life to grant--

A Lord whose ways are extravagant.

Using a boy's lunch to feed a throng

And lavish grace to convert the headstrong.

Etched on a coin: "In God we Trust"

All hoarding is subject to moth and rust 

Zucchini Muffins

Chances are even if you do not have a garden, your friends and neighbours will try to give you their surplus (and super-sized) zucchinis.  This easy recipe turns this bland and abundant vegetable into tasty muffins [1].

Grate 2 cups of unpeeled zucchini (only peel any areas with blemishes) and combine with:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Blend together with an electric beater or wooden spoon.

Sift together:
3 cups flour (half whole wheat, if desired)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon

Add to the liquid ingredients and stir until blended.  Fill muffin tins with batter 2/3 full.  Bake 15-20 minutes in 350 degree oven.  Makes about 16 muffins.

Variations:
1) At the end, stir in 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
2) At the end, stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts
3) At the end, stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or other chips)
4) With the grated zucchini, add 1/2 cup grated or chopped apple
5) With the grated zucchini, add 1/2 cup grated carrots

[1] This tried and true recipe is based on "Zucchini Bread" in the More with Less Cookbook, published in 1976.

Not a Waste: Parallel Lives of Eric Liddell and Dietrich Bonhoeffer

   I'm probably not the first person to notice some striking similiarities between two men of honour born just after the turn of the century who also passed  away within two months of each other in the year 1945.  These men are Eric Liddell and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I will begin with a short summary of each man's life and then point out the common strands I observed while reading about them.
   Eric Liddell was born on January 16, 1902 to Scottish missionaries living in China.  His education from a young age took place with his brother at British boarding schools far away from his parents and sister, who continued to live and minister to the Chinese people.  Family visits took place infrequently during furloughs. Young Eric was not terribly academic, but he enjoyed the sport of rugby and running races.  In 1924, the eighth modern Olympic games were held in Paris, France, and Liddell was one of the members of the British team.  His best event would have been the 100 metre sprint, but when it became known six months before the event that the qualifying races would take place on Sunday, Liddell determined not to run. Instead he trained for the 200 metre and the 400 metre events, which would not require competing on the Lord's Day. After all of the celebrity that came through his gold medal performance in the 400 metre race, Eric Liddell remained humble.  He desired to use his athletic ability to connect people with spiritual truths.  He eventually went to various towns and regions in China to teach, preach, and provide basic medical care to its people. When World War II broke out,  Liddell made sure his wife and three young daughters were sent to safety in the West.  As the Japanese took over portions of China, they began to intern all Westerners.  Even in a concentration camp, Eric Liddell acted as a leader in organizing the internees and keeping up morale through sports, performing arts (plays were put on) and worship services.  With minimal food rations he kept up an incredible pace of service until it became apparent that he was burnt out.  He apparently had a brain tumour, which led to a fatal stroke on February 21, 1945.  He was 43 years old. [1]
   Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4, 1906 in Breslau, Germany.  Even though his family was not overly religious, young Dietrich (who was educated through home schooling and grammar school) decided to become a theologian at the age of 14.  He was gifted academically and attended different universities in Germany, writing two dissertations to become qualified as a professor.  When Adolf Hitler rose to power, Bonhoeffer was one of few German Lutherans to raise objections.  As early as 1933 he spoke out publicly against the tactics of the Fuhrer and had his radio broadcast suddenly cut in mid-stream.  Bonhoeffer continued to stand up for Jews and others persecuted by the Nazi regime, and his movements were being monitored.  When he was given the opportunity to live safely in the United States, he thought better of it and returned to his homeland.  He was arrested in 1943. After a time in prison, he was moved to various concentration camps (Buchenwald, two others and finally Flossenburg).  Here he was executed by hanging on April 9, 1945, at the age of 39. [2]
  

    In which ways did these men live parallel lives?

• They were both men of principle and integrity, even when it was costly to their worldly successes.
• They both wrote books about a life devoted to Jesus Christ.  Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship in 1937, while Eric Liddell's Disciplines of the Christian Life was published after his death.
• Each of these men had tremendous gifts, which were developed and harnessed for the furthering of God's Kingdom in the places where they lived.  Their gifts were not used to gain status in the eyes of the world but to draw people to the Truth.
• Both of them endured suffering for righteousness' sake and both spent time in concentration camps half a world apart.

   I wonder if these two men ever had the opportunity to meet each other during their brief lives on this earth. They certainly would have understood each other as brothers in Christ.  I can imagine each one of them saying, like Saint Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1, NIV).

[1] An easy-to-read biography of Eric Liddell with the same title was written by Ellen Caughey in 2000.
[2] An exhaustive biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, 2010.

Dealing with "Shimei"

   I'm of the mind that anything we experience as humans can be related in some way to a story in the Bible. Because many stories are lesser known and thus obscure, careful study is a great blessing for putting your life in perspective.
   The experience that we may have from time to time is being criticized by a stranger.  They are not common in my life, but I vividly recall each rebuke of this kind.  It's an uncomfortable jolt when someone publicly contradicts you, calls you names in response to something you have written or finds fault with something you are doing.  It's especially hurtful when you feel that the comments are undeserved.
   The obscure story of Shimei was shared during a Sunday sermon at least twenty years ago, but it caught my attention by its strangeness.  You can find it in 2 Samuel 16: 5-14.  King David's son Absalom wants to usurp the throne of Israel, so the king decides to flee from Jerusalem.  He does not want a battle to occur in the city, where so many innocent people would be caught in the fighting.  He also does not want to hurt his own son, so David withdraws.  While he's hurrying away, a man named Shimei starts yelling curses at him and throwing rocks at David and his entourage.  He accuses David of shedding the blood of the household of Saul, the previous king.  In fact, though, David deliberately did not eliminate the line of his predecessor. His best friend Jonathan was of this family line, and David had promised to care for any of his descendants.
  What is David's response to Shimei's harsh rebuke?  One of his mighty men suggests Shimei should be silenced on the spot by beheading him, but David gives an emphatic "No."  He considers the possibility that God sent Shimei to give this curse.  Maybe there is something in Shimei's hostility that needs consideration, even beyond what Shimei as a man is trying to express.
   So yesterday, when a person I had never met before decided to vent his anger about something I was doing, I tried my best to listen without interrupting.  I thanked him for speaking to me directly and not behind my back.  I continued to see this person as a human being.  I was determined to see if there was any grain of truth in what he might be saying.   Although it was uncomfortable, I can accept the possibility that God can use an unlikely prophet to get my attention and examine my motives. Have I unwittingly been a hypocrite?  I'm still processing the interchange