Our Daily Bread

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

While thumbing through a magazine this afternoon, I stumbled across a recipe for banana bread. And, being the impulsive baker that I am, I went to the store to grab some buttermilk and shortening to try out the recipe. Upon returning home, I dragged out the bread pans and kitchenware necessary, cranked up the Johnny Cash and went to work. Stirring this and mushing that, the mixture was finally poured into the pans and placed into the oven with care. And then, the most difficult part.

I waited.... and waited. Impatiently. Checking the timer every two minutes.

As I waited, self-doubt showed up to assist me during the baking process.

Did I mess something up? How many bananas did I put in? What's the oven temperature set on? Did the recipe call for baking soda or baking powder?! It shouldn't be taking this long!

And finally.....BEEPING!

I pulled the first pan out, stuck in a knife and.... still squishy. Placing the pan back in the oven,

self-doubt and I spent another ten minutes together before the bread was thoroughly baked.

This time, I pulled the bread out of the oven, and my fears nearly vanished. I had what smelled like and looked like banana bread. Cautiously tasting a bite, my concerns dissipated. I even called my mom to celebrate in my banana bread success. However, hanging up the phone, I realized that I had a problem.

Okay. Great. Now what? I have two pans of banana bread. I can't eat it all. What should I do with it?

Not a second later the light bulb above my head came on, and I had my "Ahah!" moment. Perhaps I should share my bread. I should take it to others and let them have some. Maybe we could talk about the impending snowstorm, Cardinals baseball, iPhone apps, or just life in general. Perhaps we might even share parts of our lives and build life-sustaining friendships with others.

Its no secret that some of the best relationship building happens over a delicious morsel. The disciples and apostles were constantly breaking bread together in the New Testament. In fact, the word "bread" appears in the King James Version of the Bible nearly 360 times. People are created to be together, build relationships, and share their experiences. So this week, sit down with someone over a tasty treat and simply share.