Pancake Day

I have long been a lover of pancakes. My family has grown to share my love and pancakes are now a weekly special in our house. (And my kids think Dad makes the best pancakes in the world, which is no small incentive!) I was recently introduced to a new genre in the pancake world - Sweet Potato Pancakes. Thanks to a few students in the Christian Student Fellowship at SCAD, I had my first experience with Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancakes about three weeks ago. From the moment I walked into the college building I was embraced by an unfamiliar but fantastic aroma that drew me to the kitchen. As I crossed the threshold, I saw them for the first time - fluffy and brown and calling my name. Unfortunately, I had just finished dinner, so I only had a bite. But it was a bite I would not soon forget. In fact, so memorable was it, that I made an extra trip to Kroger recently to pick up a box for our weekly family pancake breakfast. Everyone loved them, even baby William. So don't wait...what could be better on a cool, holiday morning (or evening) than sweet potato pancakes. Enjoy!

Grass and Glory

As the solid people came nearer still I noticed that they were moving with order and determination as though each of them had marked his man in our shadowy company. "There are going to be affecting scenes," I said to myself. "Perhaps it would not be right to look on." With that, I sidled away on some vague pretext of doing a little exploring. A grove of huge cedars to my right seemed attractive and I entered it. Walking proved difficult. The grass, hard as diamonds to my unsubstantial feet, made me feel as if I were walking on wrinkled rock, and I suffered pains like those of the mermaid in Hans Andersen. A bird ran across in front of me and I envied it. It belonged to that country and was as real as the grass. It could bend the stalks and spatter itself with the dew. - C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, p. 23.

What's Your Problem?

Christ is more of an artist than the artists;

He works in the living spirit and the living flesh,

he makes men instead of statues. - Vincent Van Gogh

This quote from Van Gogh expresses the idea that inspired this blog. Several years ago I became profoundly convinced that my greatest problem, my biggest obstacle in life was not my humanity. To be human is not a man or woman's greatest problem; our greatest problem is trying to live independently of God. This propensity to live apart from God is what theologians call sin. Sin, then, properly defined, is our greatest problem, not our humanity. In fact, sin makes us less than human. In the Christian gospel, God has acted in Jesus Christ to rescue us from sin and to restore our humanity.

In the coming weeks, I plan to reflect further on this theme. But the blog will not be limited to biblical and theological reflections on humanity. I intend to reflect on all things related to our humanity, not as an expert on the business of living as a human, but as one waking up and discovering again that we were created to live - to live in skin.

First Things First

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased. - C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis