Thursday, November 6, 2014

Soup and Bread

What is it about a bowl of soup and homemade bread?

 I pulled three loaves of sourdough out of the oven while a pot of chicken and wild rice soup was simmering on the stove, and a warm glow seemed to come over me.  The smell was intoxicating and I wanted to stop time for a while.  Of course this is all while Doris Day was singing in the living room and  my favorite red apron with the embroidered birds was tied securely around my waist.



Comfort...that it's it, isn't it?  There is something so comforting to me about the scene that just took place in my kitchen.

To find ultimate comfort in things or others, rather than in Christ is idolatry.  But, I believe God gives us moments like smelling hot bread in an oven to recognize and experience the desire of comfort.  The smell of bread draws us doesn't it?  My family is reaching for the knives and butter before it even comes out of the oven.  Cool...what does that mean?  We don't let it cool!  We slice it and butter it and let the butter drip all over our fingers and chin just for the first taste, straight out of the oven! Bread is the sustainer of life.  Bread fills us and nourishes us.  So much of this is in the imagery  of Jesus telling us He is the Bread of life.(John 6:32-35)  He wants us to desire Him, to fill up on Him, to find our nourishment in Him.  Do we run to Him, like running for the knives and butter, with totally anticipation of the goodness we will experience in Him?

I have invited people to come and sit around my table to enjoy this soup and bread.  The invitation to come, sit, breath, and enjoy.  That's part of it too, isn't it?  The comfort part is the actual partaking and enjoyment.  Jesus invites us to come to Him, to find our rest in Him. (Matthew 11:28) But, we too often overlook that He wants us to find enjoyment in Him. We list off all of the things we think He wants from us; read, study, memorize....   There is a joy in sitting long and often at the table with our Lord and letting Him fill us, sustain us with His word, and His very presence.  Sometimes worship and enjoyment looks like sitting down at the table with a bowl of soup and bread dripping with butter.



Simple words....
Simple imagery on this sky blue, crisp, fall day.

Learning to enjoy and delight in the table again.
Love,
Kim

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Cover and boil 5 chicken breast
I let these simmer for about  1 hour

While chicken breast are cooking I melt 1 stick of butter and add 
1 chopped onion
3 stalks of  chopped celery
4 carrots chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
Let these really cook and get some color on them. De-glaze the pan with a little chicken broth to get all the yummy browness on the pan.

Shred chicken breast.  Clean broth that was made when you boiled the breast.  Remove any fat or that chicken skummy stuff that floats around! 

Add Chicken back to broth and add the veggies
Also add 3 cups of chicken broth

Taste and add salt and pepper as you like it.

Bring to a boil and add two boxes of wild rice mix. Or 1 1/2 cups of wild rice.  Cook until rice is done. Many make a creamy version of this.  But there is something about the simplicity of this soup that causes me to breath deep.  I have delivered it to many who are sick, one man and woman said that they thought it healed them!!  I think that it just brought them comfort and they rested. Breath, Rest, Worship, and Enjoy!!