What is a Provocative Christian?
To be provocative means to live in such a way as to provoke a response. Jesus said that men should see our good deeds and as a result, praise our Father in heaven. Our lives should provoke a positive response to the Gospel. Of course sometimes it may also provoke a negative reaction. When that happens we need make sure it is the rejection of the Gospel and not our non-Christ-like behavior that they are reacting to. A provocative Christian life is one that stands out as compelling and desirable and different and leads people to Jesus.
In order to live a provocative Christian life we must get back to the core, the root of what it means to follow Jesus. The word for “root” is also where we get the word “radical”. Think of the word “radish” which simply means root. So getting radical for Jesus means getting to the root of what it means to follow Him. He told us what that is in the Great Commandment. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. If we did that, it would provoke people to ask questions. They would want to know why we are so gracious, kind, forgiving, why we are serving others, why we are sacrificing for people we don’t even know. In general they would want to know why we are who we are.
Jesus called for ordinary people to live provocative, radical lives.
I trust that this site will help you do just that.
Welcome to the great adventure.
Dan
Dan, I’ve enjoyed browsing your excellent meditations. I found this weblog through Sue Bohlin at Facebook, and will join your network there. God bless your ministry. — Beth Impson
Hello, Dan:
Being new to Facebook, I followed the link of a foodie website, and reached you. How interesting! Since you are perhaps interested in food, as well, I wanted to make you aware of my newly re-released cookbook, A Biblical Feast (slightly provocative, but not too!) I am the author/ publisher this time around, so don’t hesitate to get a hold of me if you have questions. All the best,
Kitty Morse
http://www.kittymorse.com
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kitty Morse
(7760)758-8631
e-mail: kitty@kittymorse.com
Contact Kitty for quantity discounts
A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table (second edition. Updated with all new color food photography. Originally published as A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land for Today.
by Kitty Morse. $18.95 paper with flaps
8 x 8 inches. Index, Biblical Menus
ISBN
Publication date: July 2009
A land of wheat, and barley, and vines,
and fig trees, and pomegranates;
a land of oil olive and honey.
DEUTERONOMY 8:8
In A BIBLICAL FEAST, Morse presents a fascinating overview of what the people of Scripture ate and why.
Herb-coated goat cheese, pungent garlic and leeks, succulent lamb, fresh sardines, tender fava beans, honey sweet dates, crunchy pistachios and almonds…Although we usually think of the ancient Hebrews and early Christians eating only “manna from heaven” and the oft quoted “loaves and fishes,” the Bible tells us that a cornucopia of delicious foods sustained the inhabitants of the Jordan River Valley. Most foodstuffs are still prominent on today’s Mediterranean table, yet, we know little about their rich legacy.
In A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table, Kitty Morse describes the foods of this ancient Mediterranean diet. She includes detailed descriptions of the 84 primary foods mentioned in the Bible. Many of these ancient ingredients, such as lentils, leeks, garlic, almonds, figs, olives and honey remain staples of contemporary Mediterranean kitchens. She offers nearly fifty kitchen-tested recipes for dishes the people of the Holy Land might have prepared, based on the foodstuffs mentioned. Biblical quotes are paired with each recipe, and Morse explains the foods’ culinary, historical and spiritual links. She reminds us that the people of the Holy Land were simple folk—farmers, fishermen and carpenters—who ate uncomplicated yet wholesome food that never goes out of style.
Since the time of Moses, it has been customary to seal almost every pact and celebrate every occasion, whether secular or religious, with a communal meal. Food, drink, and shared meals were not only essential to physical life, but the authors of Scripture also employed them in symbolic ways to convey spirituality. A Biblical Feast provides new ways to enjoy these rituals and find greater meaning in these ancient Mediterranean foods.
Sample dishes include:
Salads:
Cumin-Laced Garbanzo Bean Spread
Sesame-Almond-Nigella Mix
Lentil Salad with Watercress and Goat Cheese
Leeks with Olive Oil, Vinegar, and Mustard Seed
Main meals
Jacob’s Pottage of Lentils,
Barley, Mustard Greens, and Mint
Saffroned Millet with Raisins and Walnuts
The recipes work!