You will not find my strongest spiritual gifts on any spiritual assessment or even mentioned directly in the Bible. I have taken a few and as much as they say my gifts are this or that, I am convinced that chocolate chip cookie making is really my spiritual gift. Meaning I do not have to look at the recipe to make the cookies. I know what needs to be in them and which ingredients make them just right to connect with a teen, or young adult, and a few older adults who intercept them on their way to a recipient. How can I call this a spiritual gift? This is the one food that I had mastered in my teen years. Nothing else, no exaggeration. I also have the recipe memorized, which may not seem like a big deal or any sort of miracle to you, but if you know me, you know how numbers and information not connected to a specific person or book are meaningless in my brain. I struggle to remember my phone number and my name on certain days for that matter. But Nestle Tollhouse Cookies, I have it by heart and I am thankful for that gift.
I used to joke around when we first got into ministry saying I was going to write a book, “If you feed them, they will come.” (Hear that in James Earl Jones voice please, yes it is a reference to Field of Dreams for those who still know what that is.) There is something about food that draws people in and provides a place to connect but dessert, especially cookies, for whatever reason turns us all into little kids. We are freer and ready to talk about stuff. Cookies earn trust. I did not do this as a ten step plan to win friends and influence others. It just happened. I am thankful for it being something so simple.
How many times do I try to make things far more complicated than a cookie? Usually people just want someone to show they care in a simple way. A note, an invite for a coffee or tea, some fresh baked cookies, a few minute conversation and hug, it really is that simple. People want to be seen and loved. They want someone to notice them and a little chocolate never hurts to throw in the mix.
Inkblot Life 
Oh my goodness that is my only claim to fame in the cooking realm. My family calls them better than Betty’s. Same thing Nestle Toll House Recipe. 😊 Funny thing not everyone can follow the recipe and have it turn out well I have heard lol.❤️ Keep writing
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