Category Archives: Things to Do

Pancakes

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I know I know… what a weird topic to blog about. Pancakes. Trust me, it gets even weirder from here. Why on earth was I thinking about pancakes? Here’s the story. It all started a few weeks ago when I was out grocery shopping. I started perusing the PC Insiders Holiday Report (no endorsements given here, I just happen to like their products… but if Galen Weston wants to hook me up… I’m here for it!). This is one of the current ads for their latest meal kit for the holidays:

Photo via PC insiders report online

So if you read the description… it clearly states the meal includes a “pancake”. And I mused: “A pancake?” This is not the fluffy, cake-like circle upon which I eat with syrup, chocolate chips and/or berries. Certainly, Peking duck does not a pancake make. And why is this a holiday thing? Green onion and red peppers? Apparently, I am very wrong. “Pancakes” are very diverse among a very vast and wide group of people. A little digging has opened me up to a whole new world of what constitutes a “pancake”. IHOP notwithstanding. (This Canadian girl learned that the American restaurant chain “IHOP” stands for International House of Pancakes… who knew?)

Some are thin and light… à la “crêpes”, and some are thicker like flatbreads or blinis. Dutch babies, bannock, Jonnie cake, flapjacks, toutons, crumpets, and my favourite-sounding name: crempogs (Welsh). And yes… China has a pancake version filled with savoury treats like Peking duck. I humbly apologize for my lack of foodie-ness. What did I know? Served at anytime or season. Holidays or lazy Sunday mornings.

And there are other pancake definitions as well! My sporty children tell me there is a move in volleyball called the pancake. The techies talk about the pancake bot… some kind of 3D printer thing… but does it make pancakes? I do not understand. And of course the adjective usage: flat as a pancake. You’ve got to love English. It lacks so much in descriptive ability. Flat cake made in a pan = pancake. My mind has so many questions.

“The Pancake move in volleyball”

So, my beloveds. How will I transition from all this talk of breakfast food to my “inspirational twist”? Diversity. I am fascinated that the Bible’s words can continue to be fresh and new each time you read them. Verses come alive every single time. Maybe diversity is not the right word. I want to say that scriptures can have different meanings depending on your perspective … like the thought of a “pancake” is different depending on where you live… but maybe that is not theologically sound. God’s Word doesn’t change. Yet, the mystery of it … is that it does. Do you see it? Have you felt this? Tell me you get it and that it is not just me! Verses you have heard time and time again suddenly leap off the page and “melt in your mouth” like a savoury pancake instead of syrupy sweet. A single phrase speaks to you in a way that it never has before. Just perfect for this moment in your life. This is the joy of reading ancient words inspired by God Himself.

Alive, diversified by the writer’s perspective, yet completely homogenous at the same time. Nowadays we have the added bonus of different versions of the Bible and concordances to enhance our studies even further. Like a kitchen full of ingredients ready to be added to make your perfect pancake. Yum! Taste and see that it is good.

Photo by Daniela Constantin

The Forest Backdrop

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Welcome back! The weather has been so lovely these past few days, that everyone seems to be out enjoying it! One of the benefits we enjoy living in Canada is experiencing four full changes in season! (Remind me that in the dead of winter, okay?) This fall has been absolutely gorgeous, and many people are commenting on how striking the tree colours are. God’s beauty is displayed so vibrantly in such a seemingly mundane object like a tree! We, too, were out enjoying the pleasant weather this weekend, and we saw quite a few people snapping photos of themselves along the trails — the vast forests aflame with colour as their background. I was amiss as a good blogger and didn’t take any photos. However, I marvelled at how this background blended into a solid “hue” all its own. Can you imagine what I mean? Each individual leaf is part of an individual tree, part of a whole forest of trees, set within a forest floor blanketed with fallen leaves. The unique shades and intonations of each individual made up the variation in texture and pattern of the whole. Like those photo montages of maps etc made up of headshots.

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

I came across this devotional thought by Anne Ortlund, recently, which kind of struck a chord with me and this thought of “parts of the whole”:

“Who can explain God? It takes all of Jesus Christ to explain Him. There are hundreds of functions and facets and names of Jesus: The Light, the Ancient of Days, the I Am, Wonderful Counselor, the Light of Isreal, the Branch, the Rock, the Lord, the chief Cornerstone, the Way, the Truth, the Life and on and on and on. He is the express image of God’s Person, but it takes every facet of him to reveal fully the glories of the Godhead.

This is the Christ in whom you’ve been placed. This is the Christ who surrounds you — above you, beneath you, around you, before you, behind you, within you. This is the Christ who is all, and in all. You are complete, ‘running over’ in Him”.

Anne Ortlund

Like the forest backdrop, the attributes of God, are uniquely blended into a vibrant tapestry of all He is and all He is to us. It’s like standing amidst the fallen leaves on the forest floor and trying to pinpoint one red leaf high above you. It can be done, but you miss the beauty of the variation all around you. Try it next time you are doing some “forest bathing” (it’s a thing… look it up). Make a list of all the characteristics or names of God you can think of… and thank Him for the many more you have not yet discovered! Joy, peace and love to you!

The Power of Wind

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Last night I watched a blip on the largest offshore wind farm on CBC’s 60 Minutes (Am I old enough to watch 60 Minutes now? Oh the horror!). Anyway, this wind farm is off the coast of London near a town called Grimsby. More than 300 turbines spread across 335 square miles in the open ocean and generate enough electricity to help power more than 2 million homes daily.  The wind is a renewable, clean and powerful source of energy. Literally powerful. The highest wind speed ever recorded occurred on Barrow Island, Australia.  On April 10th, 1996, an unmanned weather station measured a 253 mph wind gust during Tropical Cyclone Olivia.  Beat that, Marvel Comics.

Hornsea Wind Farm Photo credit: CBC 60 minutes

The Mitton crew shared in its own little wind adventure this weekend. Well, at least the two of us did. If you saw my Instagram stories this week (and you should follow my Instagram … it’s my favourite social to post on!) you would have seen a little clip of our beach wind adventure. We visited the shores of Lake Huron on Saturday — and it was just a tad windy. The wind was whipping the sand about and stinging my bare ankles like tiny sharp hypodermic needles. I’m thankful it wasn’t whipping about my face. My hair was doing enough of that, I didn’t need the sand to compete. It wasn’t cold. We experience enough cold winds in Canadian winters to appreciate that. Still, we felt the power of the wind.

We watched a few parasailors take advantage of the weather. Obviously, their wind suits shielded them from the icy water… but I bet they felt the wind! I can’t imagine the strength it took to hold back the sails, because, from our observation, that wind was pulling them in hard. Those little parachutes filled up as soon as they were flung open! Those guys caught some great air that afternoon. Two stories high, I’m sure! Brave, I tell ya.

The hubby loves a good storm, and I watched him run out to the lighthouse pier, only to be caught full-on by a crashing wave on the concrete. He got a little wet. 🙂 He’d make a good storm chaser if I’d let him. I’m just not ready to be left on the yellow brick road all alone just yet. Kudos to the spouses who kiss their lobster fisherman goodbye for to brave the highest seas! (Or pirates, Navy guys or … well, you get it). The wind and waves are a mighty enemy and must be respected at all costs.

Grand Bend, Ontario

I’m sure by now, you see where this post is going. The Bible mentions the power of the wind numerous times. Matthew 8 reminds us that Jesus was in control of the storm. The disciples (many of whom were trained fishermen!) marvelled at His ability to rebuke the waves and calm the storm. The prophets of old were told to watch and observe as the Lord’s presence was seen in the changing weather. Mighty winds, cool breezes, storms, waves and flashes of thunder. The Psalms tell us time and again how God calms the raging storms… literally and figuratively within our own heads. Often we get too bogged down by so many things, that those tiny grains of sand driven by the wind, begin to feel like piercing daggers!

Are you caught in a storm, my friend? Are you feeling the powerful wind whip you down and the waves crash around you? Or have you harnessed the power for your own enjoyment like the parasailors? Do you know the One who controls both the mighty tornado and the gentle breeze? He’s worth every encounter. Seek Him and give Him a little shout-out the next time that little leaf floats down beside you … or when your umbrella blows inside out! For the Lord is not in the wind, but controls it!