“Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.” John 6:27 – The Message
When I am preparing to preach to you, I always use what is known as a literal translation of the Bible to do my studying and subsequent prayers that God would send His Word to me through His Holy Spirit.
But, I have to tell you, I am loving The Message version more and more each passing year. I really love the way it is relational to today, with words that resonate in all generations.
The verse above is a perfect example for me.
It really hits home when you think about all the time and energy we waste on that which is never-lasting. The food we need to strive for in our lives is THE BREAD OF LIFE. Jesus tells us this food is everlasting. It is what does and will sustain us through every circumstance of our lives. It is guaranteed by God to last!
This is part of a passage, John 6:25-40, where the disciples suddenly realize Jesus is with them. He explains to them that they didn’t know he was there because they were only interested in and focused on, and therefore could only see, that which is temporary.
Jesus has already performed many miracles including providing loaves and drink for the masses when there was barely any. He has to now illuminate their short-sightedness by redirecting the assumptions on the source of their food a.k.a. manna.
He is their manna. The true Bread of Life is Jesus. He is the Bread sent down from heaven. If we invite him into our lives and partake of this Bread we are guaranteed by God to have everlasting life.
The best analogy I can think of is this, when we make a starter for homemade breads, we are constantly aware of tending to and feeding it to keep it alive. We work at bringing it to maturity and continuing to nurture and grow it. We don’t just maintain the process, we cultivate it by studying it and adapting our methods to continue to expand our knowledge of how to ensure it will successfully grow.
This is our Christian life. We are starters that continue to grow, and mature, and change and adapt as we learn about who Jesus truly is in our lives. We can rest assured, through this process, that we will have firsthand knowledge of the true Bread of Life, Jesus.
This is my favorite bread starter. Enjoy!! ~Bonnie
Sourgdough Bread Starter – Little Spoon Farm
Ingredients
• 6 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• ½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour (see notes)
• Water
Instructions
- Day 1: Mix ½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour, ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour and ½ cup (120 g) water in a clean jar. Cover the jar loosely and leave it in a warm area, 70°F (21°C), for 24 hours.
- Day 2: Stir the starter, cover the jar loosely and let it rest for 24 hours.
- Days 3-7: Add 2 tablespoons (30 g) of starter from the day before to a clean jar along with ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour and ¼ cup (60 g) water. Stir until smooth, cover loosely and let rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Repeat daily feedings until the starter is ready to bake with. You’ll know it’s ready when it doubles in size within 4-12 hours after feeding it, the texture looks light and fluffy with plenty of bubbles on the surface and around the sides of the jar. Colder kitchens will take longer than warmer kitchens.
Notes
• Most importantly, try not to stress yourself out while you build your first starter. Feed your starter every day, keep it in a warm spot and forget about it until the next day!
• Another way to find out if your starter is ready, is to perform a “float test”. When the starter has doubled in size, drop a tablespoon into a jar of room temperature water. If it floats, it a good indication it is ready to bake with. If it drops to the bottom keep feeding and try again.
• If you are struggling to get your starter to take hold, try the following method until your starter is ready.
• Mix 3 cups of whole wheat flour and 3 cups of all-purpose flour in a container with a lid. This is what you will feed your starter with until it is ready.
• Each day discard all but 2 tablespoons of starter from the previous day and feed it with ½ cup of the flour mixture and ¼ cup of water. 12 hours later stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of water to help give it more food to eat until the next feeding
Bonnie Boe, Commissioned Lay Pastor, (805) 529-8422 x102
