A SURE CROWD PLEASER!

As I have shared with you before, my grandmother played a major role in my life.  I can still recall her saying to me.  "If everyone painted their head green, would you?" and "I suppose if everyone jumped off a bridge, you would also!"  What usually brought on this discussion was, in order to keep my legs warm in the winter, she wanted me to wear slacks under my dress to school.  Now to me,  this was the worst idea possible!  Back in the day, girls did not wear pants to school, only dresses! We've come a long way baby!  I raised a huge ruckus, because I did not want to stand out from the other girls.  So upon arriving at school, I would slip into the bathroom and remove the pants or  I would complain until she relented and finally said "okay, just freeze then!"  Yes, ladies, if I had only listened to my grandmother's wisdom, I might have become a fashion trendsetter that would have allowed our liberation from dresses to pants a lot earlier!  But I was a crowd pleaser then, so sorry!


And so begins my mentoring challenge for us.  Are we teaching our children that it is better to go along with their peers than to ever stand out from the crowd?  Or how about ourselves?  Do we blend in with society and our friends so much that our lives do not make any kind of statement for what and who we believe?

I was thinking that when Christ lived on this earth, He did not fit into the normal society mold. Really the only time I can remember him being a "crowd pleaser" was when he was healing others or when he rode in town on the donkey and the people waved palm branches for him.  But then again, these were the very first people to shout "Crucify Him!"  Just after the Beatitudes, Christ says this;  "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)  So let's remember, it is good to stand out from the crowd, if we're doing it for the right reasons!

Here is a crowd pleasing recipe !

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

1 T. oil

1/2 onion

1 T. flour

2 teaspoons cumin

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. sugar

3/4 c. chicken broth

1 can Hunts Traditional Pasta Sauce

Heat oil in a pan and add onion.  When onion becomes translucent, add flour, cumin, sugar. garlic, broth and sauce and cook 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Brown hamburger or chicken in a skillet.  Place the meat in a flour or corn tortilla.  Add a small amount of shredded cheese and some of the sauce.  Roll up and place seam side down in a 9 x 13" pan. Do the same for the remaining tortillas.  Pour more sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.  Makes 10 tortillas.