Sumthin' Outta' Nuttin'

If there is one thing I learned working with Florence

at Box T Bible and Saddle Camp,

you can make

sumthin'

outta'

nuttin'

in the kitchen.

Along with her husband, Lewellyn,

they used their ranch in the middle of North Dakota

as a Bible Camp for many decades.

They were loved for their love for the Lord,

and their love for the young people that

stomped on their grass,

trampled their flowers,

wrestled on their furniture,

and broke things.

They had patience unlimited for youthful pranks,

immature and mature crushes,

smelly cowboy boots,

giggling after hours,

spiritual questions,

and mistakes in the kitchen.

Florence was amazing with food.

She fed the campers from a kitchen the size of

some people's dining room table.

I watched her rescue desert when someone accidentally used

Russian tea mix instead of cocoa

in the brownies.

I laughed when a pan of baked oatmeal

was tipped over in the oven,

and the rescued portion miraculously became the

bottom of a creamy, fruity desert.

When my cupboards were bare,

her influence spurred on

thrift and creativity.

The kids hadn't sealed the package of tortillas,

so the edges were all crusty.

A scissors took care of that mess.

I grated the chunks of cheese I found,

cutting off a few spots of mold

and the dried edges.

I guess the cheese bags weren't sealed, either.

A wonderfully warm lunch,

that my kids thought was SO special.

It was just like in a restaurant!

They didn't know how I had to literally cut and scrape

to make this meal.

It felt good to be so frugal.

It felt good to think about Florence,

 a woman who influenced my faith

even more than my culinary skills.

I was even wondering,

if I were living during WWII,

would I have even cut off the crusty edges?

Or would I have cut them off

and made something else out of them?

But, there is something more to consider,

than just a recipe from dry tortillas and moldy cheese.

Other than food,

we can waste time,

spiritual gifts,

abilities,

our homes,

our belongings,

our relationships,

and money.

We waste them by not using them for the Lord.

How are you making

sumthin'

outta'

nuttin'

in your life?

******

Read Jeff's blog giving great tribute to

Florence and Lewellyn Tewksbury,

of Box T Bible and Saddle Camp.