chocolate

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It’s Pancakes For Lunch Today; That Might Not Be Good

“How about pancakes for lunch” my wife suggested at noon on Saturday. It is one of our go-to weekend lunches.

But since it’s early in the year and there’s still all kinds of sugar pumping through my veins, from chocolates to candy to baking, I’m not sure it’s wise to have something so sugar-laden.

If you are thinking that it doesn’t have to be that sweet, then you’ve never seen me eat pancakes.

First you have to stack them, about 6 or 7 high, and then you create a waterfall scene with the maple syrup flowing down into puddles on the plate below. 

It reminds me of a scene right from the Bible. You know when Elijah had altar wars with the prophets of Baal? Elijah dowsed his altar with water and more water, so that the water filled the trough around the bottom of the altar. Then he called on God to bring fire and burn up the water – which God did.

Well, my pancake scene reminds me of the altar with all the water being poured on it before God lit it on fire.

Anyway, the syrup is sweet and plentiful, but then there are the pancakes themselves. 

My wife, Lily, doesn’t just make regular pancakes. She make banana chocolate pancakes. Into the batter she adds mashed bananas and chocolate chipits. These babies are sweet all on their own!

Now it’s possible I could show some restraint with how many pancakes I take, and even limit the syrup I use, but I know how it goes.

I look at my stack and think, “maybe one more”, and when I’m pouring on the syrup, sometimes it’s hard to pull up on that spout when that golden brown elixir is flowing so smoothly in slow motion fashion. 

No, I think it was a mistake to say I’d have pancakes for lunch. Maybe by about the middle of February my sugar levels will start to go down to an acceptable percentage level.

We use real maple sugar on our pancakes and I’m not sure if that is better or worse than using that fake stuff by Aunt Jemimah that my son seems to love so much. 

… There must be something seriously wrong with him that he would prefer that coloured water with some artificial flavour added in. 

But I don’t mind because when it comes to any kind of saucing of food, that kid knows no limit. It doesn’t matter if it is gravy, hot sauce, or syrup, if it is something that you pour over food Mike floods his plate with it. 

So his choice means more syrup for me. He can just use that cheap imitation stuff to his heart’s content. 

But this doesn’t solve my sugar problem today. Maybe having hot wings with Franks Red Hot for dinner will counter all the sweetness I’m having at noon. 

Why not? It satisfies my conscience.

Here’s the thing: You can have too much of a good thing to the point where it’s not good for you. But you can’t have too much of God. In fact, when you are low, an extended time of thanking Him will lift your spirits. And if you are full of joy, thankful praise will motivate you further to love and good deeds. No matter what’s flowing through your soul, time focussed on God will produce good fruit. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When was the last time you took an extended time to thank the Lord? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Easter Present

I got a present for Easter this year. It was sitting on our doorstep.

We don’t usually exchange gifts at Easter, though this year Lily’s birthday did fall on Easter weekend, so she got some cards and a few gifts.

Traditionally we used to give our kids some chocolate Easter eggs when they were young – we’d even send them on a hunt to find them.  

The present at the front door, however, was an actual present with a card. It was hanging on our doorknob. But when I took a closer look in the bag, I realized it wasn’t an Easter present for me after all.  

The present was a Hulk action figure … I’m confident I haven’t taken up playing with toy dolls. 

There was a card in an envelope that gave a little more insight into the mystery of the present at our door. There was a name on the envelope, but we didn’t recognize it. 

Somehow, whoever delivered the present thought someone else lived in our house, or they made a mistake on the house. 

Since we’re the original owners of our home and have lived here for the last 23 years, I don’t think they were mistaken on who lived in this house.  

Our guess was that the present was delivered to the wrong address. 

In the process, I wondered who gives presents at Easter … I don’t mean some form of chocolate; I mean a present like you would get on your birthday. 

Then Lily and I remembered how busy the roads were earlier that day. The malls were packed with shoppers. 

We learned later through a Facebook post that Easter shopping is incredibly busy, rivalling that of Christmas. 

I was feeling a little like Sherlock Holmes as I began using my keen detective senses to deduce who this present belonged to.

I opened up my computer and typed the family name in the search line. I was not sure if I had the spelling correct because there was an “o” that could have been an “a”. 

I knew at once I was on to something when several suspects popped up immediately online, all from far away places through. … I can see someone going to the wrong house in a city, but it’s hard to believe someone missing the house by a whole country. 

I narrowed my search to my city and bingo, there it was: the name and address of the people this present belonged to. I knew immediately this was them because their house was one street over from ours. 

I surmised how the mistake had been made. Our two streets are next to each other and are both cul-de-sacs that look similar. 

And when I went to take the present over to the rightful owner, their house was the third house in on the left, just like ours.

A great mystery had been solved … but no Easter present for me … or was there?

Here’s the thing: We like gifts and look for any excuse to get them, but we already have a great gift at Easter. You see, at Christmas God hands us a present all wrapped up – it’s beautiful, it’s hopeful, our eyes are attracted to it. At Easter we get to open up the present. Christ comes out of the wrapping, having died for our sins, and then come alive. He’s our present. Take Him by faith and He is yours, and you are His forever more. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What did you give or get this Easter? Leave your comments below. 

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Resisting Temptation Is Proving Difficult Right Now

This is proving to be a season in which it is difficult to resist temptation.

I’ve done pretty well for about eleven months at cutting down my sugar intake. In that time I’ve lost some weight, I’m feeling better, I’m enjoying participating in sports more.

Physically everything is good; I think my health is also good. I have an exam coming up and then I’ll know for sure.

So with all that’s going well for me right now, it’s surprising that I’m having a hard time staying off the sugar.

Since about the middle of October I’ve had a greater urge to indulge in the sinful pleasures of candy, sweets, and all things sugar.

I’m a pretty disciplined guy when I decide to do something, but the temptation just seems greater right now.

I’ve wondered if there is some crazy gene in me that wants to store up some fat so I can make it through the cold, harsh winter months.

I don’t think I’m getting ready to hibernate until spring, but I’m having to keep up my exercising to ensure I don’t start looking like a bear!

I think the problem is we are entering a really dangerous time of year. Halloween is happening today when this blog is published.

About a week ago, my wife, Lily, bought two boxes of candy to give out. She opened them up and said, “Take what you want.”

Well, I have and I hope we don’t get too many kids trick-or-treating because the candy stockpile is getting lower.

Right now I’m just sampling the candy I like best. But after the big night I will be forced to eat the bonbons that I don’t really like as much.

And the problem with Halloween is that by the time you finish off all those mini chocolate bars that get left over from October 31st, you find yourself gearing up for Christmas.

And Christmas has its share of candy AND the added bonus of cookies and baking and really fattening food.

You can see my problem: the temptation is all around me, urging me, calling me, begging me to reduce the sugar in the world by consuming it myself.

I might save one or two children’s lives by eating this candy … well, at least keep them from contracting diabetes.

All year I don’t think the temptation to chow down on a good old stick of licorice has been as great as it is right now. In fact, I can imagine the smell of that strawberry licorice and it’s only 8:30 in the morning.

Though the temptation is strong, I have to be stronger, more disciplined. I have to get Lily to stop putting things in my way that will lead me to fall into temptation.

Maybe I’ll have to put a big box of candy at the end of my driveway on Wednesday morning with a sign that reads, “free” on it.

Here’s the thing: All temptation to sin is not the same. Sometimes the intensity of temptation is greater than at other times. To stave off temptation, first identify what your big temptations are. Then put action steps in place that keep you from being exposed to that particular temptation. Thirdly, practice those action steps consistently. Focus on disciplining yourself to maintain your action steps rather than trying to discipline yourself to keep from the temptation.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What action steps do you need to put into place? Leave your comments below.

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Comfort Is A Problem Moving Forward

There is something about old things that draw us back to find comfort in them.

I was just realizing this in the aftermath of Christmas.

My wife, Lily, and I had our two children home with us for a few days over Christmas. Yesterday we said goodbye to our daughter. Now that the house is a little more spacious, I realize that it’s really a little more empty.

Those few days with the family home brings back a comfort that we don’t want to end; we want it to stay.

That’s why we like old music; we find a comfort there that we don’t want to see leave.

That’s why it’s hard to make eating changes; there is a comfort in having that chocolate bar at 9 pm.

We can’t stop time, that’s for sure. We also can’t stop our kids from developing their own plans, dreams and pursuits. But it’s not like we can’t go on without the comfort of the old.

So what happens when we feel a little empty, when the comfort of having our children back home comes to an end?

We suck it up and accept it!

There are, however, some things we have much more control over. It is with those things that we struggle with leaving the comfort behind.

The comfort is like a craving – a craving that is stronger than your willpower, stronger than what you know is best.

Food is one of those areas for me – junk food, that is. It’s hard for me to say no to it. I crave sweet things more than most people.

But in the last month, I’ve tried to cut a lot of sweet stuff out of my life. … I know, this was a crazy idea to have around the Christmas season, but you have to start sometime.

This is what I’ve found: I feel better when I cut sweet things out of my life. I feel healthier, I lose weight, and it probably lowers my cholesterol all at the same time.

It sounds good, but in the evening when I look in the pantry, or on the counter, or if I walk into the living room, there are dishes of candy everywhere – sweet, mouth-watering candy!

Even though I have more reasons to say no to eating the sweets, there is a comfort in indulging in them.

I know I will not feel as good having that third cookie or eating several chocolate-covered almonds after already having a little of my toffee. But you know what? There is comfort in doing it anyway.

… That’s just one example. It really comes down to not being controlled by our comforts.

What do you want to do or change as you enter this new year? Start by figuring out how you are going to do without the comfort you find in whatever you want to change.

That’s the key.

Here’s the thing: At the beginning of a new year, make a commitment to God that you want to deepen your relationship with Him. To do that it will mean you have to make some changes that will most likely include doing away with some comforts. Figure out how you will put those particular comforts behind you so that you are free to move forward.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one of your comforts you don’t want to part with? Leave your comments below.