The Cookies we Served our Guests were Bad

Anyone that likes crispy cookies more than soft needs some serious help. Just saying. We bought these melt in your mouth, big cookies from BJ's the other day to serve at an FCA 3D Coaching Seminar. My knees got a little weak when the cookies came in. The problem, is we have been really focused on eating better. So the cookies were mocking me.

On one hand it would have made more sense to bring vegetable sticks and tofu to the seminar. But lets face it, these were a bunch of coaches we invited. Granted, they were some great local coaches, but they were still coaches and I am sure some of them would have rejected the tofu. So, we did the only reasonable thing; we brought delicious cookies.  During the course of the evening I overheard many comments about the cookies. But we brought home almost all the fresh fruit.

It really didn't bother me though, to serve the cookies. Sure I did not think it was the best thing for them. And fresh veggies would have had a lot of good benefits. But I willingly gave them what I thought they wanted because they did not have the same convictions as I. I did not even think badly about any of them when I saw them eating those scrumptious cookies. Actually I did not really spend much time thinking about the whole issue.

But later I started to think... I think a whole lot of Christians could learn a lot from my cookie experience. A lot of Christians get all uptight and figgety when people outside the church don't live up to the church's moral standards. We call them bad names and make them feel like we are superior to them because we don't participate in big sins like they do. But does it really make sense for us to expect people outside the church to live up to the Church's moral standards? I am starting to think it would be a lot better to get to be their chum, and after a while you could introduce Jesus into the mix. Eventually they might get to know Jesus and want to follow Him. After that, doing things Jesus way won't be real tough for them any more and we can sidestep all the uptightness and name calling.

So when you see someone who doesn't follow Jesus, acting like... they don't follow Jesus, you ought to go and be their friend. And maybe giving them a soft chocolate cookie will start the conversation off just right.

Despicable Tom-Me

Carl the Happy Minion

There was this little girl having a birthday. She was turning 10, and needed a  cake worthy of such an important occasion. No one would do except Carl the Minion, and of course he had to be doing gymnastics. For a solid week, I baked cakes of all shapes and sizes; the freezer looked like Marie Antoinette (let them eat cake) was living with us. Friday night came and it was time to assemble the masterpiece. By  0200 Saturday morning, Carl was happy in the kitchen, and I went to bed.

My wife woke up first and found Carl the zombie Minion, having done a stage dive off the counter and onto the floor, failing to perform a proper dismount.

Carl the Zombie Minion

After much confectionary surgery, Carl was nearly back to his happy self. Yet he was altogether different... on the inside. When Carl was born, he and his beam were all cake and no structure, but he looked really good on the outside. But Carl was not light and eventually he and his beam began to compress. Eventually, his foundation was so weak, he tumbled. However, when Carl was put back together, he received a proper spine and platform to keep him steady. And he performed a flawless routine.

Carl the Strong Minion

Our lives can be a lot like Carl's. Sometimes we look really great on the outside, but the inside is weak and crumbly.  In the end your future success is going to depend more on the you beneath all the frosting. So build yourself strong on the inside.

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV