Matthew 3:3
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
I know, I know! I've been writing about Danny's homemade bread for several posts now, but I do hope you will bear with me. Although his bread is delicious, of course, we find that cutting even slices to enjoy is difficult to accomplish correctly. Our eyes just don't seem to match up with the way our knife is working its way through the loaf.
So, what's the solution? A bread slicer!
What??? How could this possibly work? Well, I'll show you!
The sides fold out and up!
The board inserted at the back braces the bread.
And now, it's the time of reckoning. Will this contraption actually do the trick?
It does! Nothing better than a straight and even slice of bread!
Except, there is.
And it's the path we follow on our Christian journey. Are we staying right behind Jesus on the straight paths, or are we straying? Do we talk the talk, but not walk the walk? Are we destined to enter through the narrow gate, or are we jeopardizing our welcome by entertaining unholy thoughts or ambitions?
In these times of self- isolation and quarantine, there are more than enough hours in the day for contemplating and praying about our walk with Jesus.
May we all prepare the way in our hearts for the Lord, making straight paths for Him, so we can follow close behind.
Amen!
OK ... you (nearly) got me confused. When I saw the two loaves of bread, and read the Isaiah quote, (or was it Matthew quoting Isaiah?). Anyway ... seeing the loaves and the quote, I thought John the Baptist was a baker!
ReplyDeleteI like the bread slicer; but I like your lesson today more. You know, Martha, it is sometimes very difficult to "follow the path" as you say. The devil is always there to lead us astray. The more we get closer to God the harder the devil works.
God bless always. Bon appetit.
Indeed, Victor, the closer we get to God, the more the devil desires to lead us astray. We must be awake and aware to God's presence and make every effort to follow Him on the straight and narrow.
DeleteSorry for causing any confusion! :)
Love and blessings!
Now I'm hungry for warm, just out of the oven, bread.
ReplyDeleteBetter, yet, more important still...the Bread of life.
Thank you for this.
Well done.
Great to see you here, Doug! I just responded to your wonderful note on email. And yes, as great as this bread tastes, it can't compare to the Bread of Life.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Wow, that is a nifty bread slicer cutting board thingamajig! I guess it would work for any shape of bread. Very cool. And I love your segway into the Scriptures for staying on the straight and narrow path with Christ. Beautiful! Now I want some of that bread!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Pamela, the bread slicer can be used on a variety of shaped loaves, and when you make your own bread, it really becomes a necessity. Glad you appreciated the segway, too!
DeleteLove and blessings!
When Jo made some bread for me (tomato basil) that was the hardest thing-cutting straight slices. Certainly not like Panera! But her bread tasted better. I wish I had had one of those nifty slicer thingys back then. But your lesson was spot on my friend. Only one way-the Bread of Life.
ReplyDeleteThe slicer has certainly come in handy, Bill, and makes for straight pieces of bread to enjoy. And yes, the only way is to follow Jesus, our Bread of Life.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Nicely done, Martha. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Frank!
DeleteLove and blessings!
That is an excellent solution to even slices of bread! And your witness for our great God is always a bonus! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Terri, for your kind words here. Much appreciated!
DeleteLove and blessings!
That is so cool and to have a spiritual lesson along with this. You amaze me!
ReplyDeleteIt's how my mind works, Jean. :) So thankful that God saw fit to give me that gift.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I can never slice bread very pretty, so if I were going to have to do it very often, this would be a great purchase for me. :) Love this: "May we all prepare the way in our hearts for the Lord, making straight paths for Him, so we can follow close behind." Amen.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the blog today, Lisa, and that you took time to share a phrase that stuck out for you. Yes, if you ever decide to make bread on a regular basis, this is the go-to gadget.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Wonderful, Martha Jane! I'd no idea such a contraption existed, but I'm all for anything that simplifies our daily challenges. I remember as a child, being cautioned not to color outside the lines. Best I apply that to Jesus' Straight Path.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great analogy, Mevely! Yes, this contraption does exist - leave it to Danny to find something like this on the internet. :) Let's all keep on the straight and narrow with Jesus.
DeleteLove and blessings!
The bread slicer what a wonderful invention that WORKS! Oh and to stay on the straight, narrow path that leads home to Heaven is the best! This is another great word picture.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Thanks so much for your kind words here, Kim! Yes, may we all stay on the straight path that leads to Heaven.
DeleteLove and blessings!
While I should perhaps be ashamed to admit this, yet I'm not, my journey of faith has taken a pretty circuitous route my friend. I've gone "off the path" more times than I can remember, but am so very grateful that our ever-patient and loving God cares enough to help me find my way back. I'm glad the bread slicer works. They key seems to be containment. :-) God's blessings folks.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that my own spiritual path has not had it's twists and turns, J. D., but you're so right about the Lord being faithful and patient with us, guiding us gently, yet firmly, to get us back on track with Him. Yes, we are so happy the bread slicer works, too!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Believe it or not, I have rather enjoyed this isolation. I have found it is a time of reflection and getting to know one’s self again. When we are running to and fro, we have little time to gather our thoughts and know what paths we are on. I feel closer to my Creator when my mind is settled and not packed full of a bunch of busyness. Thank you for the reminder to keep our paths straight. Martha would you please email me Danny’s receipt for the bread? My email is nelliewasilewski@gmail.com. Thanks and blessings.
ReplyDeleteThese times have been tough, Nells, but our moments for reflection have been most welcome. If you'll go back to a previous blog, I have published the recipe and given the steps to making it work. Please check it out!
DeleteLove and blessings!
It is time we all self evaluate and make needed changes as we advance into a new era for the church and society at large. I think God is giving us time to repent and strengthen our walk for a new move of God that will usher in many lost souls.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Valerie! That is my thought, too. May many souls be saved at this time in our history.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How cool! I’m hungry for hot buttered bread!
ReplyDeleteDidn't mean to make you hungry, Beckie, but glad you enjoyed the post!
DeleteLove and blessings!
My mom has a wooden bread slicer my dad made for her. It works beautifully. I love the application for our lives. I know the past several months God has really had me taking a deep look at my heart. It's been a sweet (but also a little painful, in a good way) time of drawing closer to Him.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I really want to go bake some homemade bread... ;)
Love,
Annie
Let me know how your bread turns out, Annie. And I think that's cool that your dad actually made a wooden bread slicer for your mom. That takes some talent!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Amen!!!! And I can almost smell that bread!!! Yum....
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing, Diane, that's for sure. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
That's too cool for school! BUT around here, some like it thickly sliced, some like it thinly sliced. WAIT--you just skip a notch if you want it thick. Back to TOO COOL!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Yes, that's exactly how it works, Loralu! And it's definitely too cool for school. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Back in the days when I had a bread machine, I had a wood bread slicer much like yours (except that mine did not collapse, so it took up a lot of space in the cabinet. But it was a very good help in making the slices uniform.
ReplyDeleteYour application of the bread slicer to our Christian walk is excellent. We must not forsake those good habits that help us to stay in line in close fellowship with our Lord.
I'm so glad you liked my analogy of the bread slicer to our walk with the Lord, Barbara. Thank you! And I don't know if I'd like having a bread slicer that didn't collapse - it would just take up too much precious counter space.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Beautiful thoughts, sweet friend! And, every time I see Danny's bread, it makes me hungry! It looks amazing. May the Lord bless you with a wonderful week up ahead!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words here, Cheryl. The bread is delicious, no doubt about that!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Wow! How ingenious. I make a lot of homemade bread and can never get the slices straight. I am going to look for a bread slicer! Thank you for the recommendation. Perfect scripture to go with the post!
ReplyDeleteYou would love this, Laurie, since you make homemade bread. I think Danny got this on Amazon. Hope you find one!
DeleteLove and blessings!