“We cannot suffer with the poor when we are unwilling to confront those persons and systems that cause poverty. We cannot set the captives free when we do not want to confront those who carry the keys. We cannot profess our solidarity with those who are oppressed when we are unwilling to confront the oppressor. Compassion without confrontation fades quickly to fruitless sentimental commiseration.”

—Henri J. M. Nouwen

“Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

WHY THE LEADERSHIP MOVEMENT IS LEAVING YOUR CHURCH LEADERLESS

It’s been two months since I attended the 2012 Justice Conference, in Portland, Oregon. It felt like coming home. It changed my life in a big way and many small ways. What I see in the rearview mirror is familiar, comfortable. I’ve been on this road before, but now I understand why.

He has shown thee, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

My journey to do justice began before I was born. I can’t pinpoint the actual “when” – it started with my Pappous (Grandfather), a Greek-Italian man who displayed humility in many tangible ways. Based on his character, I would hazard a guess that someone in his life influenced him to do justice. The best way to learn justice is to see justice in action.

Our childhood, my siblings and I, was sprinkled with fascinating stories of my Mother’s life in Greece and England. Those stories were the foundation, the mirepoix, that flavored the recipe of our lives. Here’s a little snapshot:

In 1940, during WW2, the “Battle of Greece” began with the Italian occupation. By 1941, the Germans advanced on Greece. In 1943, in the midst of death, and grief, and sorrow, my Mom’s older siblings (Uncle Gaby and Aunt Charlotte) befriended a British soldier. They brought him home, introduced him to the rest of the Cutayar family, and there they harbored him, on and off, for a few weeks. He was safe with them. In their naivety, they began introducing him to friends. Amongst their friends were some Italian soldiers. The “British” soldier turned out to be a Greek freedom fighter with an exceptional command of the English language. The Italians, when they found out the Cutayars had harbored the enemy, were not so agreeable.

Italian soldiers invaded the family home and turned it upside-down in search of the “British” soldier. He was not found. My Pappous, Uncle, and Aunt were taken away. Eventually, they were released. Sometime later, the Italians left Greece and those Greeks who supported the King were rounded up by the Greek communist faction. My Mom and her family were taken to a concentration camp.

When my Mom entered the camp, she had long, silky black hair. She was, and still is, a natural beauty. Soon after they arrived, the lice did, too. My Pappous made the decision to shave my Mom’s head rather than let her suffer. He was grieved at having to shave her head and asked her to never cut her hair again. My Mom honored his request for more than 70 years. Food was scarce and, that which was available, was barely edible. They scraped the mold off food and the adults sacrificed their portion so that my Mom could eat.

It came time to be questioned and the family was brought before the soldiers in charge of the camp. A man stepped forward and spoke on their behalf, the same man they had harbored in their home. They were set free and walked for miles and miles to reach their home. But they still weren’t safe. They packed as much as they could and crossed over to the “free” area and, eventually, moved to England.

For as long as I can remember, my Mom’s been scraping mold off food and re-warming leftovers. She doesn’t waste food and hates it when I do. She remembers the mercy God extended to her and her family and takes every opportunity to feed everyone who walks in her door. We laughingly suggest it’s a “Greek” thing, but her determination to do justice extends far beyond food. There is no doubt she passed the desire to “do justice” on to her children.

Justice restores hope. When you see injustice, it either breaks your heart or makes you mad.

Jesus intentionally and publicly chose his natural companionship among those disinherited from the power structure. Justice requires casting our lot with them. – Walter Brueggemann

“Whenever you see someone doing something really stupid in the Bible, do not say to yourself, ‘How can they be so stupid?’ Instead say to yourself, ‘How am I stupid, just like them?’”

Read the entire post here.

And here is the sermon he would have preached at his wife’s memorial service. Very inspirational.

Though it was a close call, I elected not to preach at my dear wife’s memorial service. Wasn’t sure I could get through it. But in God’s good grace I was given a second chance, the opportunity to preach to many who knew and loved her. My friends at Boerne Christian Assembly in San Antonio offered me their pulpit one February Lord’s Day, and positively encouraged me to preach on the things I had learned during Denise’s battle, and after her victory. Though it was a close call, I made it through. And in God’s grace that sermon, The Mountain of the Brilliance of Life, was recorded. I have been deeply encouraged by those who have been reading my pieces through various internet outlets about our journey, who have let me know how they have been encouraged. My prayer is that this sermon would encourage still more, that we would all remember that our heavenly Father loves us, and that Jesus will never leave nor forsake us.

“The B#$%@ is coming from both sides of the political divide, and the fact that we’re still talking about the overemphasis on looks means that too many people still believe that they can pull the “you’re ugly” trump card when they don’t agree with a woman. You may not agree with a woman, but to criticize her appearance — as opposed to her ideas or actions — isn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all you. Insulting a woman’s looks when they have nothing to do with the issue at hand implies a lack of comprehension on your part, an inability to engage in high-level thinking. You may think she’s ugly, but everyone else thinks you’re an idiot.”

What We’re Really Talking About When We Talk About Hillary Clinton Without Makeup by Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel.com

EAT YOUR BOOKS: My cookbooks make me smile. And now, thanks to the brilliant mind of Jane Kelly, and the site Eat Your Books, I have found a way to utilize my cookbooks more efficiently. In addition to cookbooks, I also have a collection of food magazines that are neatly tucked away, in date order, in special boxes. Jane’s provided me with a way to access the recipes in the magazines without cutting the magazines to pieces or tagging the recipes with post-it notes. Needless to say I had a fun day taking all the color-coded tags off all the pages. I can; however, tag recipes and write notes in EYB so I can easily find the recipes again.

Here’s how the Eat Your Books site works. Once you register for an account, you begin entering your cookbooks and magazines on to your virtual bookshelf. Many, but not all, of the titles listed on the EYB site have been indexed. That means someone has gone through the cookbook and made an index of all the recipe names and the major ingredients. Let’s say you have a bucket of fennel and you want to find a few recipes that feature fennel. You could go searching through all your cookbooks and magazines (*sigh*) or you could login to EYB, go to your bookshelf, and type in the word “fennel” in the search box. A list of all the books and magazines on your shelf with fennel as an ingredient will appear. That’s how easy it is. You won’t find recipes…the search results will simply point you to the right place to look.

The annual membership for EYB is $25. Okay, that’s four cups of fancy coffee and it’s totally worth it. And, to sweeten the deal, EYB is now indexing recipe blogs, too. Trust me. If you have ten or more cookbooks, you’ll love this site. One more little, but not unimportant, item. Many of the indexed magazines have recipes online. That means you can put a magazine on your virtual bookshelf – that you don’t own – use it to meal plan, and then get directed to the online recipe. It makes me happy just thinking about it. Lastly, it’s a perfectly good reason to buy more cookbooks. Just sayin’.

FINE COOKING: One of the magazines I really enjoy reading is Fine Cooking. It’s my “go to” magazine for figuring out different ways to use one ingredient. For example, in one issue, they show you how to use carrots as a side dish for Thanksgiving – six different ways. I have hardcopy going back quite a few years, but they’re in a box in the basement so I could make room for more cookbooks. Several months ago, I bought a DVD recipe archive of Fine Cooking magazines going back to the first issue in 1994. The DVD offers lots of little extras like search functions, tips, and more. And, for less than the cost of a subscription, you can get each new year on DVD, too. But, I couldn’t stop there. Keep in mind that Fine Cooking is indexed on EYB, not all 17 years, but it’ll happen. I took the time to convert all the issues to PDF and uploaded them on to my number one favorite thing in the kitchen…

APPLE iPAD: It’s changed my cooking experience. I’ve now stopped subscribing to magazines in hardcopy. I read them on my iPad using Zinio or some other app, or I upload them to iBooks, or I search recipes in magazines on my bookshelf using EYB. I’m still waiting for the Lucky Peach magazine app to get out of the lab and on to my iPad – the first issue was a thing of beauty. There are several apps available for cooks in the App store, but I find I have such a great variety available on my bookshelf that I rarely need to look elsewhere. And, I also have quite a few eCookbooks, too.  I rarely have excessive “downtime” in my life, but when a moment occurs where I’m waiting in a doctor’s office, at the airport, getting my oil changed, or I can’t sleep at night, I simply pull out my iPad and read a magazine or a book, my Bible, or plan a meal.

In addition to all my print resources, I also have a very large database of recipes. I’ve recently migrated them off of recipe software to Google Docs where I can now access them from anywhere using my iPad. Well, almost anywhere. I’m still waiting for Google to make an really good app to access docs. In the meantime, I use an app I don’t really like, but it works.

I use my iPad outside of the kitchen, too. It keeps the kids entertained for hours, I stalk people on facebook and twitter, I read books and blogs, and I get all the news I need in a 9.5″x7.31″ space.

Maybe one day you’ll find me sitting in front of a fireplace in my kitchen reading a cookbook. Meanwhile, my NEW favorite things make me happier in the kitchen. Well, my knives do, too. Okay, and my cookware. Hmmm…and my food processor. I do love my hand blender. Then there’s the food mill. Did I mention my knives?

Whether reading a book or watching a movie, we all come to the “story” from our own paradigms. A friend once suggested that a paradigm is like being in a room without any ceiling or windows. What we see when we look outside depends on where we place the ladder.

Just last weekend I read Life, on the line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefing the Way We Eat, by Grant Achatz (pronounced Ackets, like packets) and Nick Kokonas (New York: Gotham Books, 2011). These days, my schedule is more “audio book” friendly; however, I took the hardcover edition of this book on a roadtrip and absorbed it over three nights.

Honestly, I had no expectations. I was drawn to the book on Amazon simply by the cover and the editor’s blurb. Here’s the backcopy: “One of America’s greatest chefs” shares how his drive to cook immaculate food won him international renown—and fueled his miraculous triumph over tongue cancer.

The formatting of the text was awkward but necessary. The font changes to represent each author. I just didn’t like the two fonts they used. Hey…I work in publishing and fonts are friends…not food.

The book is divided into three parts: Part 1: Standing on the Milk Crate; Part 2: A New Train of Thought; Part 3: Life, on the line. I’m not going to tell you what’s in the book or what appears in each part. That’s a journey you’ll want to enjoy on your own. However, strangely enough, the bit about Grant’s tongue cancer seemed unnecessary to me. It was almost as if that part was intentionally downplayed. There’s no doubt in my mind that facing death is a sobering experience and not easily communicated to others.

For me, this book was about relationships. The good, the bad, and the oh-so, ugly. From a people-management perspective, it was a brilliant example of how fathers/authority figures/managers effect the people who follow them. Needless to say, I have a whole new level of respect for Thomas Keller. Not only is he an amazing Chef…he’s also impacted many lives for the good – including Grant’s. Keller works hard and expects no less of the people around him. He leads by example. He inspires. He listens. He cares. *sigh* I want to work for Thomas Keller.

This book had a very strange effect on me. I cried, I laughed, I read several parts over and over again. It moved me in a way I didn’t expect. Grant’s story is filled with victories – big and small. Though I’m not a big fan of molecular gastronomy, Grant’s creativity is worthy of praise. And…while I much prefer a real pizza, I’d love to taste all the flavor of pepperoni pizza formed in to a little square and balanced on the head of a pin. Simply brilliant!

In the Soup and Salad chapter, I loved the authentic Chinese Chicken Salad (pg.64) recipe. The Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers (pg.71) with turkey and mushrooms and the tasty Red Pepper Sauce look delicious. I can almost taste the flavors. The Barbecued Pork Short Ribs (pg.81) are marinated and basted with Sweet Scallion Sauce (pg.33), which is also used on the Sweet Scallion Shrimp (pg.93). I love this. The Sweet and Sour Rice (pg.116) has a simple list of ingredients. The notes say, “This salad has an innocently addictive, clean, sweet, and tart flavor.” Yummy! It looks fantastic. You won’t want to miss Chinese Spaghetti (pg.125) made with chunks of pork and tofu, and a delicious list of ingredients.

The Dessert chapter is AMAZING! I’m not kidding. And, as I often say, I’m not a dessert person. But c’mon. These recipes are lovely. Tangy Ginger Bananas (pg.130) or in the summer, peaches and nectarines, and in the fall, apples and pears. Peach Wonton Crisps (pg.133) are beautiful and tasty. Sweet Anise Custard (pg.136) brings out the Greek in me. And, tada, Strawberry-Lemon Tapioca (pg.139). Now that’s dessert.

Richard Wong filled this cookbook with joy, a love for life, and a celebration of flavors from Shanghai. Noel Barnhurst’s food images are  beautiful and brings the food to life. A lovely combination. Thank you, Mr Wong. I hear the bell ringing!

In 2008, Caressa and I faithfully watched The Chef Jeff Project on the Food Network. In the show, Chef Henderson puts six at-risk youth to work at his catering company to help turn their lives around. The show was quite a learning experience and I gained a great deal of respect for Chef Henderson. He understands how to motivate people, to make them want more out of life, and he inspires people to do better in all areas of their lives.

When I saw this book on the shelf at my local book store, Chef Jeff Cooks: In the Kitchen with America’s Inspirational New Culinary Star, by Jeff Henderson (Simon & Schuster, New York: 2008), I eagerly took the cookbook home. After paying for it. :)

Here’s a bit of what Chef Henderson says in the Introduction:

This is not just a cookbook; it’s a testimonial to my desire to succeed and inspire lives. It’s also a tribute to those who have been instrumental in shaping who I am today. I found my way into the kitchen by accident, but I believe today it was my destiny. God gave me my life’s vision behind the stove, and cooking has become my gift to you.

There are many black and white pictures throughout the book and the center signature is packed with beautiful color food images. The layout is simple with most recipes falling on one page. There’s also a reference section at the end. The table of contents is a little different and helps you to understand where Chef Henderson is going on his culinary journey:

1. Stocks and Broths
2. Appetizers
3. Sauces and Condiments
4. Soulful Soups and Chowders
5. Salads
6. Vinaigrettes and Dressings
7. Family-Style Sandwiches
8. Vegetables and Greens
9. Potatoes, Starches, and Grains
10. Dinners
11. Time to Grill
12. Baked Breads and Sweets
13. Ice Creams and Sweets

The recipes are down-home, packed with flavor, and easy to execute. Although there is no doubt Chef Henderson can bring his Bellagio best to any dish, he isn’t a show-off and remembers for whom he wrote the book. I loved the stories scattered throughout the book – very delightful, very inspiring.

The Sweet Potato Soup (pg.59) will set you straight and get you saved. The King Crab Gumbo (pg.61) will wow your Southern friends. The Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing (pg.91) is better than the one I’ve tried to rip-off from Crocodile Restaurant for many years. The Turkey Smoked Collard Greens (pg.123) are far better than mine. The Caramelized Cabbage (pg. 128) was a delightful surprise. The Sweet Potato Risotto (pg.137), oh my, it was delicious. The Molasses Braised Beef Short Ribs (pg.176) will change your life.

Chef Henderson, who lives in Las Vegas with his wife (*sigh*) and three kids, recently worked on a book project called The America I AM: Pass It Down Cookbook (Smiley Books), to honor and preserve African Americans collective family food histories and legacies. It’s due out February 2011. His first book, the memoir Cooked, was a New York Times bestseller and is slated to become a feature film. This is not “just” a cookbook, it’s a food journey and a story filled with over 150 recipes. Enjoy!