February 2014

The Soul of an Apprentice 

We all know people who are difficult. We meet them where we work and where we live. They make everything, well, difficult.

It is hard to get things done when we have to work with difficult people. Instead of smooth sailing, our boat seems to be stuck in a perpetual storm, and we have to spend inordinate amounts of time keeping excess water out of the boat, lest we drown. 

What causes people to be difficult? The Bible identifies two reasons: self-seeking and envy.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive [literally, easily entreated], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness (James 3:13-4:1, NIV).

Those who are self-seeking think about themselves more than others, and as a result they are unwilling to help others when needed. Instead of being easily entreated and considerate, they consider their own interests above all. It is not a recipe for harmony.

Paul provides a solution how people can become easy to work with:  

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Phil 2:1-5, NIV).

Humility is the answer to self-seeking. Humility causes us to consider the interests of others and as a result we become one in spirit and purpose. Thus united, we are always ready to help others as we seek to maintain that unity, instead of seeking to please only ourselves at the expense of others.   


Susanna Krizo
Editor

January 2014

Blessed and Prosperous New Year! This coming year here on Master's Apprentice we will focus on discipleship and becoming more like our Master in both body and spirit. We will go through the Sermon of the Mount verse by verse, for it is here we find our Master's instructions to us in the most precise and concise form. 

We'll begin with the Beatitudes. 


Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. 
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth. 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. 
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy. 
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.  
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God. 
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you 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.
(Matt 5:1-12, NIV)

This list is often considered impossible, a standard that is too high. And it is, from a human point of view. But we are no longer mere humans (1 Cor 3:3); we have been born again and become new creations, holy within and without; we have crucified the flesh with its desires, and live now by the power of the Spirit who dwells within us (Gal 5). That which is impossible for humans is possible for God (Mark 10:27).

What is required of the disciples of Jesus?

1. Poverty of spirit. This does not refer to a gloomy disposition. Instead, the one who is poor in spirit recognizes his own insufficiency wherefore he seeks wisdom and understanding from God.

"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word (Isa 66:2 NIV).

Those who are poor in spirit, will receive the Kingdom of God, which God promised to those who love him (Jas 2:5).

2. Those who mourn. No, we are not attending a perpetual funeral; those who mourn, mourn because of sin.
 
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (Jas 4:6-10, NIV).

Those who mourn will be comforted, their tears will turn into joy, for our God is a God of comfort (2 Cor 1:3-4).

3. The meek. Meekness isn't equivalent to fear or timidity; those who are meek trust in God. 

But I will leave within you
the meek and humble,
who trust in the name of the LORD 
(Zeph 3:12, NIV).

Those who trust in God's promise, and patiently wait for the promise to be fulfilled, will inherit the New Earth (Heb 6:15).


4. Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness. Ever been so hungry that you felt like fainting? That's how we should feel about God's righteousness. We should seek to fill ourselves with God's righteousness, instead of all the world has to offer.

 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matt 6:31-34, NIV).

Those who seek righteousness will be filled.

5. Mercy. A popular misconception is that being merciful is optional; it isn't.
 
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (Jas 2:12-17, NIV).

Those who show mercy to the poor and the hungry will themselves receive mercy from God.

6. Pure in heart. The moment we came to God and confessed our faith in Jesus, our hearts were purified by the Holy Spirit. 

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith (Acts 15:6-9, NIV).

Those whose hearts are pure will see God. 

7. Peacemaker. Our Master is the Prince of Peace; he called us to create peace.
 
Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Cor 13:11, NIV).

Those who create peace will be called the sons and daughters of God, for they live according to the Spirit instead of following the flesh.

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8:12-14, NIV). 

8. Persecution. That you don't get your way doesn't mean you're being persecuted; it means you are being selfish. Real persecution is always a result of godly living.

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings-what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:10-12, NIV).

If you endure persecution, blessed are you for yours is the kingdom of Heaven.

In conclusion, disciples of Jesus are humble, they do not rejoice over evil, they seek righteousness, they are merciful, they love from a pure heart, they create peace, and they endure persecution blessing those who hate them. 


Susanna Krizo
Editor

December 2013

The Soul of an Apprentice

"Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.. be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim 4:2,5; NKJV).

Mise en Place is a common term in restaurants, which most of us would relate to being both mentally and physically prepared for what we're about to do in the kitchen. Specifically, the term is defined as having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking and is translated from French to "everything in it's place".

Generally that concept usually continues to mean being ready for service, being ready to work with the rest of the team, and thinking ahead with everything else to be prepared for anything, and starts even before you go to work. If everybody focuses on their Mise en Place through the day, the day will generally go very smoothly because everybody is prepared for anything that comes their way, and happy to take on any challenge.

If a person isn't very well prepared with their culinary Mise en Place for the day, oftentimes that person will be struggling all day long. For example, they'll be running to the refrigerator numerous times during service because of things they forgot and just barely (if at all) keep up with the meals that need to go out.

So if the concept of Mise en Place is so important in being prepared to cook, how much more important is it in our spiritual preparedness for the day? Life in the kitchen can go so much smoother if you're spiritually prepared for work. By this I mean that you should be praying for everybody you work with (Christian or not), praying that God be with you in the kitchen, prepared to witness to an unbeliever, prepared if someone comes to you for personal or spiritual advice, prepared to defend your faith, and the list goes on.

I believe that is just as important to your day in the kitchen as it is to be prepared for the day's cooking. If you aren't prepared spiritually for the day, it's an open door for spiritual warfare in your life. Some people may criticize your faith and if you aren't prepared to answer, they can just run all over you. Someone may come up to you asking for spiritual or personal advice and it could cause more harm than good if you weren't prepared to be there for them. Nonbelievers may come up to you asking about being a Christian, and if you aren't prepared for that, you might not have anything to say to them. Then again, you may have a personal problem with someone at work. If you aren't prepared for that spiritual battle, you may snap back at the person and make it an even bigger problem. If you're prepared for that, and if you've been praying for the person, it's much easier to love the person and try solving the problem rather than magnifying it.

Spiritual Mise en Place is just as important in secular kitchens as it is in Christian ones. In a Christian kitchen, there is warfare all over the place, and if you're in leadership, you have yours and everybody else's difficulties whom you supervise to be involved with. As they are brothers and sisters in Christ, you need to be all the more prepared to help them in their times of need. In secular kitchens, there aren't as many people having spiritual warfare, as there are generally very few other Christians, but with all that goes on in those kitchens, you need to be all the more prepared with the personal warfare you go through as well as being ready to give an answer to anything.

God bless and be prepared,

Ira Krizo
Board of Directors, CCI
President

November 2013

The Soul of an Apprentice

Sometimes we have to wait for a long time before what God has promised comes true. It's not that God delays things on purpose; sometimes the people whom God has invited to join the work just don't show up. 

We might wonder why God does not invite only the people whom God knows will show up? Because God is patient and wants everyone to have a change to join the work, whether they choose to do so, or not. Knowing how many times we have refused ourselves, God's patience is a great source of comfort for all of us.

It is easy to become bitter when things don't work out; when we don't know why we have to wait, when we are ready to do the work but nothing seems to work out. But when we choose not to walk away from the work when we meet unexpected delays, patience becomes our salvation.

Patience - the ability to control ourselves when frustrated - produces endurance in us, endurance produces godliness.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV).

Instead of becoming bitter and frustrated, we should find joy in the other things God has given us while we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled, for there is more to life than work, even when we work for God.  


Susanna Krizo
Editor

October 2013

The Soul of an Apprentice

Some of us wait an entire lifetime to do something spectacular for God; others are happy to remain on the sidelines, yet others are born to the role they will play all their lives.

Samuel the prophet was brought to the temple at the age of five, and he remained a prophet all his life. There is no indication that he ever doubted his calling. 

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right (1 Sam 12:23 NIV).

Mary, the mother of Jesus, on the other hand, was greeted by an angel on a day that showed no indications of being different from any other:

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38 NIV).

While Mary accepted the words of the angel quickly, Moses needed a bit more persuasion. Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law when a burning bush caught his attention. God wanted him to return to Egypt he had fled forty years earlier after having murdered an Egyptian who had mistreated an Israeli slave.

Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it" (Ex 4:10-17 NIV).

If Aaron was a better speaker, why didn't God ask him instead of Moses? Because Aaron wasn't humble. It was Aaron that led Israel to worship a calf when Moses was talking to God on Mt Sinai, and it was Aaron that questioned Moses' right to lead Israel. Aaron became the high priest, but the role of giving Israel the Law was reserved to Moses because of his humility.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Num 12:3, NIV).

Humility is the key to greatness, for without humility pride convinces us that the greatness comes from us. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Cor 4:7 NIV).

We don't have to see burning bushes or angels to do great things. Jesus lived in obscurity most of his life. He ministered for a brief time before dying on a cross. Most people didn't consider him to be anything other than another rabbi whom they could safely ignore. Yet, his disciples knew that there was so much more to his life than people could see. 

Although we must be ready to step into any role God has prepared for us, why wait for greatness that you already have? True greatness is to know Jesus, for without Jesus nothing else matters.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:7-11 NIV)

Susanna Krizo
Editor

September 2013

The Soul of an Apprentice

Something that has always puzzled me is why Christians must be reminded to be kind. It seems odd that Bible school students must be reminded to be kind and tip well when they go to local restaurants; as if it wasn't something Christians do naturally. Now, why is that? I think the answer lies in how we do modern theology: we focus so much on the grammar that we have forgotten to read the message.

One thing we decided when we started the Christian Culinary Academy (CCA) was to focus on character building instead of theology building. Instead of talking about systems and dispensations, we decided to talk about what God wants us to be. It is of course important to know how to read the Bible, but if all we ever do is talk about Greek syntax, we could read Plato, or Homer, and be just as well off. Words mean something and they are meant to do something. Either they change us, or we change them. 

Kindness (chrestos in Greek) is one of the characteristics of love (1 Corinthians 13:4). If love is greater than faith - and it is (1 Corinthians 13:13) - kindness must be more enduring than faith. One day we will no longer need faith as we will see God face-to-face, but kindness will still remain, for love never ends. There will never be a day when we no longer need to be kind. Kindness is something that will always remain with us, which leads us to this question: why do we think kindness is something we can ignore while we still walk by faith?

Some people think kindness is saying what everyone wants to hear, but that is as far from the truth as can be. It isn't kind to pretend. Kindness requires honesty, and honesty requires authenticity. There is no need to go around insulting people, and not every truth has to be said out loud, but neither do we need to become phony in order to be kind.

Kindness has to do with being useful to others, to act benevolently, to furnish what is needed.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:35-36, NIV).

Kindness is something every Christian should excel at, and if it seems difficult, practice makes perfect. The day Bible schools no longer need to ask their students to be kind when they go to to the local coffee shops is the day when we can once again focus on Greek syntax (sentences) instead of vocabulary (words). Let's make it happen.


Susanna Krizo
Editor

August 2013

BRINING

Brining is a technique that adds moisture to meats before they are cooked.
 

Bringing relies on DIFFUSION and OSMOSIS

DIFFUSION: A brine consists of water and salt. Soaking the meat in a brine, allows salt molecules to diffuse into the muscle cells, for diffusion seeks to balance the salt content inside and outside the muscle cells.

OSMOSIS: Water moves across cell membranes into the muscle cells, increasing the amount of water inside the muscle cells.

Salt reshapes the protein molecules in the meat, which allows the protein to hold on to the added water, even after the meat is cooked. Without water, the salt could not enter into the cells, wherefore a simple salt rub adds flavor, but not moisture.

If the concentration of salt in a brine is too HIGH, water will be drawn out of the meat instead of adding more water into the muscle cells. If it is too LOW, the movement of water will be very slow, and very little water will enter the cells.

When brining make sure the salt is fully dissolved into the water (or you will end up with a brine that has a low salt concentration), and that you have a big enough container to soak the meat in the brine.
 

The optional sugar found in many brining recipes adds flavor and aids in the browning of the meat.

How does it work?

Salt is made out of two ions, sodium and chloride, which are oppositely charged. Proteins, such as those in meat, are large molecules that contain a mosaic of charges, negative and positive. When proteins are placed in a solution containing salt, they readjust their shape to accommodate the opposing charges. This rearrangement of the protein molecules creates gaps that fill up with water. The salt dissolves some of the proteins, forming a gel capable of holding on to even more water. It reduces overall toughness, as the protein molecules are changed.

EGGS AND SALT

Salt does more than add flavor to foods. As with brining meats, adding the right amount of salt at the right time can make a big difference when scrambling eggs.

Salt your scrambled eggs before cooking, as salt added after scrambling can make them rubbery and firm, but added before makes them tender and moist.

Why is that?

Salt affects the electrical charge on the protein molecules in the eggs, reducing the tendency to bond. A weaker protein network means eggs are less likely to overcoagulate and will cook up tender, instead of tough.

There are many ways to use salt in cooking. What's your favorite?

Susanna Krizo 
Editor