Breaking Bad

You've heard about the TV series "Breaking Bad." When I read about this TV show, I was grieved. That's all we need...to glorify unlawful actions and to try to justify them, as the lead character does, by saying it's because of the cancer. Well, the cancer in the body sometimes (not always) shows up because there was already cancer of the soul and/or spirit - especially in this case.

In chocolate, if the "tempering" isn't done right, the chocolate doesn't "set" right. It's not pretty, it doesn't have snap and it doesn't taste as smooth or rich. It won't have that glossy finish and will have streaks and/or spots all over. See the picture. I took that because I wanted to show what "bloomed" chocolate is like. It's called that (bloomed) because it's almost like a bad flower that multiplies itself when the chocolate doesn't set right. The texture is crumbly and soft, falling apart as blossom petals would fall off when a flower is through it's blooming cycle.

When this happens, I as the chocolatier, have a couple of options. I can pitch it, or remelt it and put in additional correctly tempered chocolate and try to reset it - and hope it sets correctly. Usually, my husband and I end up eating the bloomed chocolate.

Thankfully, God won't throw US away when we don't "set" right...at least not right away. He'll continue to work with us until we do "set" right. But the tempering process of our souls continues a lifetime.

However, we can come to a point where we are used of the Master Chocolatier however He pleases, if we stay in "temper." Next time: stories from an angry redhead - why I needed "tempering." The bottom picture is how tempered chocolate looks when it's been chopped a bit. You can see the difference in texture and color. All the chocolate used in this blog post was dark chocolate.

Temper, Temper Part V - Cooling Off Period

While I'm stirring my chocolate, I need to bring the temperature down to around 86 - 88° depending on what type of chocolate I'm using.

If I have a lot of different things I'm doing, I'll just let the chocolate "sit" for awhile - while I do something else.

As the chocolate "sits," the temperature cools down very slowly. This is the spiritual equivalent to being put on a shelf - or taking a break from ministry activities. This could be a voluntary cessation of activity. Maybe we sensed that our time with a certain ministry or activity is coming to an end and we step down.

However, in my case, my "break" from ministry activity was 'forced' because I failed to meet certain requirements. This caused me to examine myself and seek the Lord for what I should be doing with my life. Chocolate is not something I would have ever chosen for myself - but it is what God has chosen for me.

Generally, when we're "taking a break" from ministry, it is because God is about to do something even more important in our lives and He wants to make sure we're ready for the change. He wants to give us additional training, testing, and possible gifts to prepare us for our next step.

I've been "on the shelf" for about 2-1/2 years now. God gave me chocolate for my "job," but He has shown me this process of "tempering" is pretty much the same that we as followers of Christ go through as we grow spiritually. So...if you're "on the shelf" or things don't seem to be happening as quickly as you'd like them to, remember that you're in training for your next assignment and allow God to do the internal work He needs to do to get you ready.

Sometimes though...I "speed up" the "tempering" process with my chocolate. More about that in the next post.

Are you being "cooled" right now - or are you in the thick of things? Post a comment and let me know!