


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
In response to my friend Melissa Overmyer's recent reminder to make lemonade from lemons, I made banana bread from over-ripe bananas.
After almost burning the bread in the oven (I got a little caught up in my new French book, purchased from Westport's library book sale yesterday!) I think it turned out pretty well. I'm feeling rather proud of my homemaking skills at the moment.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 to 3 medium)
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
Lots of chocolate chips J
Pictures of my summer office...
No, not that odd. But Blake would LOVE a pet panda.
We did have some odd ones, though. We were the family that had pet rats, rabbits, chickens, hermit crabs, ugly fish, frogs, cockatiels, teddy bear hamsters, and one very personable Eclectus that lived in our dining room. We did every variety of weird activities and experiments with these pets - going down the slide with a chicken, making our rats swim, not feeding our frogs for over 3 months (they lived!) and taking our hermit crabs to school.
If their lives weren't strange enough, we were never surprised by the ways through which our pets met their end. Always abruptly, sometimes devastatingly, never with proper decency. Our chickens were eaten by an obese raccoon. One rat died of a digestive blockage. Our hermit crabs literally ate each other. The Eclectus got an infection in her toe. The fish were over-fed. Most tragically, a chick was stepped on and, to put it out of its misery, had to be drowned in the pool.
There came a time when I didn't really want pets anymore. I'd had enough of their messes, constant needs, and untimely deaths. When I started dating Blake and met his then one, which became two, which became four, which ended up at three Bernese Mountain Dogs, my decision against pets was solidified. They're not bad dogs, but they aren't for me.
As the dogs bark and run out to the car when I pull into the driveway, I can't help but yell at them. I don't appreciate when my friend's dogs sniff, lick, or drool on me. When I'm approached by a dog and his owner on walks, I never ask to pet the animal.
This changed when I discovered Goldendoodles.
Never have I seen something so precious. Blake and I decided that this - when the time comes - will be our breed of choice. We've already chosen a name. We already imagine scenes of life with our dog.
I started doing some research, and subscribed to a number of puppy sites. This prompted the constant influx of offers on Goldendoodle puppies. I'm hooked. I want a dog like never before.
That's all. End of story.
Scary, right? It brings a whole new perspective on the senseless things I fear every day.
I'm focusing on this verse:
Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"
Now it's time for some pilates...However, in a similar strand, Christian media (and Christian culture, for that matter) is getting something wrong. The number of “Christians” in America has steadily decreased since 1990, falling more than ten percent in twenty years. [1]Within that same time frame, media communication has advanced technologically and increased audience more than ever before. For a religion whose basic tenets rest on spreading the Good News to all peoples in all nations, it seems as if Christians are missing a valuable opportunity.[2] Maybe they are utilizing television and film, as research suggests, but have generally overlooked the population who needs a clearer view of the Christian message.
Let me first differentiate between American “Christians” and true believers. It’s an ugly distinction, but avoiding it would be ineffectual. While many Americans claim membership to the Christian tradition, only a select few are receptive to (and therefore, practice) Christian doctrine. The need for appropriate Christian media is there for everyone. Unfortunately, in most Christian outlets, only the needs of true believers are being met. Why? I’ll first eliminate the apparent non-issues.
Though a good portion of Christian television fits into the “low-budget” category, sponsorship for some on major networks allows for vast viewership opportunities.[3] Likewise, many Christian films receive financial support from prominent production companies. One Night with the King, which had a substantial budget of $20 million, produced less than $14 million in box office revenue. Availability of budget is not the issue.
Some attribute negative reviews and low profits to acting quality in Christian television and film. While in some cases this may be true, the issue cannot rest definitively at this point. Behind the Mask, a made-for-television film of 1999 boasted the accomplished actors, Matthew Fox and Donald Sutherland. When the DVD was released eight years later, the film created little to no response, and Matthew Fox went on to make his first successful debut in the 2004 ABC series, LOST. Christian movies do not suffer a lack of qualified acting.
If Christian media letdowns are not for lack of acting, perhaps they lack proper directorship? Not according to Rocky Mountain Pictures 2008 film, Billy: The Early Years. Though its director led over 100 sitcom episodes to success and later joined teaching faculty at the esteemed Tisch School of the Arts, the film made less than $350,000 in the box office. Directorship is not the issue.
Though these three things, combined, can contribute to the failure of any production, the common factor among unsuccessful Christian media appears to be perspective. Many films, shows, and series are so far from the acceptance of an audience in need that they might as well be on different planets. The realities of true believers and the secular world are segregated. Terms like “sin”, “redemption”, “sanctification” and “resurrection”, which are inextricably ingrained in the Christian vocabulary, come off as foreign, preachy and elitist to the non-believer (or non-practicer).
In an American culture that is becoming more individualized and less God-focused, preaching has become exclusively effective for “the choir”. As observed by Newsweek’s Jon Meacham, “Judging from the broad shape of American life in the first decade of the 21st century, we value individual freedom and free (or largely free) enterprise, and tend to lean toward libertarianism on issues of personal morality.” Anything (and that means you, Christian media) that comes off as damning based on a Christ-centered code of morality is immediately rejected by non-believers.
So how do we change the face of Christian media? Two ways.
First, with a new perspective. With less preaching and more listening, Christians can have greater impact. We need to be hearing the culture that needs Christ, not attacking them with the Gospel. By not posing as a new brand of church-talk, we can pass on the God-honoring virtues that have led believers to accepting Christ and practicing faith. This is more powerful than sermonizing television and film.
Second, we need higher expectations for Christian productions. We need to be seeking out funds, organizing skilled management, requiring only excellence and anticipating positive reactions. Secular culture is giving America compelling, trendy, high quality entertainment. It’s time for Christians to do the same.
I believe Wall Street Exodus does these things, giving it the power to change Christian television and film.