Bread of Life

Our theme for our church's Lenten services this year will be "Bread of Life" -- basically we'll be examining any event or concept of bread in the Bible.

Last night, before the Ash Wednesday service began, they actually had one of those breadmaking machines baking bread in the sanctuary so we walked in to the smell of heaven!

There's just something about the smell of fresh-baked bread that makes you feel all good inside. I'm convinced Jim and I bought our house because we loved the smell of baking bread every time we toured it. Now I know it is a Realtor's trick -- and an effective one at that.

No surprise that last evening the aroma once again brought back a flood of childhood memories.

My mother often made bread rather than purchasing sliced bread from the store. Even if she didn't mix and knead the dough -- opting for frozen loaves -- part of the fun was waking up to see how much the loaf (yeast) had risen while we were sleeping. Of course, that part of the process finished a distant second to the best part: Eating warm bread (with butter, of course), fresh out of the oven. Always, the first loaf was gone in less than 30 minutes. H-m-m-m good!

It gives me a warm (dare I say almost domestic) feeling when my "boys" react the same way to my banana bread. I made some this weekend and, as usual, the first loaf was gone in no time. Carter follows Daddy's lead. When he wants a slice, it better be 3 inches thick!

Hopefully some day that banana bread will come to mind when his pastor talks about the bread of life. Just like God's spirit, a 3-inch-thick slice with butter melting on top certainly does give us a warm, full, contented feeling.