     Although I rarely think about it, as I walked the track this morning I pondered the magic that happens when common ingredients are mixed in specific ways. It's a phenomenon that takes place in our house every day and probably, in yours as well.
         Here's an example: before leaving for one daily walk I combined two kinds of flour, some buttermilk, yeast, salt and a couple of tablespoons of honey; when I arrived back home the mixture was ready to shape and put into pans. After spending forty minutes in the oven, the results were delicious - we had plenty of whole grain bread for the next few days.
         Later this afternoon I'll bake cookies for company supper as well as special cookies for my diabetic husband. So many variations on simple components but the results are oh, so different. The secret is knowing what to include, what to omit and how to prepare them. When we master those basics, the ordinary can become outstanding.
         Although I'm not aware of any Scriptural reference to God as a Master Chef or Baker, I learned many years ago that he can take the things that make us who we are and the things life throws at us, put them together with a never-ending stream of his grace and love and then, even in the "oven" of tough times, transform us into a marvel of his goodness. In my musings this morning I realized there are few miracles greater than this transformation. In Psalms 42 and 43, the writer reminded himself of the following recipe in the face of trouble.
         This is how he put it: "Why are you cast down, oh my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God" (Psalms 42:11)
