Pancake Day (With Recipe For Those Who Asked) And What I Am Giving Up For Lent (Confession Time)

I have been celebrating Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) since I was a child. In England, this tradition marks the beginning of Lent, during which many choose to abstain from something so that they can focus more on Christ. Pancakes are eaten the night before as a last hurrah because they contain flour, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

Our family do not usually make a huge deal of Lent because of it being a works related attempt to draw close to the Lord. We do believe in Biblical fasting and both my husband and I fast often, not just to implore the Lord to work on our behalf but so that our hearts would be transformed. We also believe that it wise to 'fast' from those things which keep us from a deeper relationship with Him. Things which may have become an idol over the years. Food is certainly an idol when it consumes our every thought and motivation. But there are many other things also which consume our minds and can rob us from spending time with Jesus. Such as, ahem...... blogging, facebook, (I have actually only just joined this a few months ago because I had heard how much time people spend on it. Now I can see why I did not join until now.) Reading magasines, shopping on the internet, talking too much on the telephone....... the list goes on. While all these things are not bad in themselves, if they become something which consumes our time, thoughts and energy, then they must be placed on the altar.

At dinner last night, I made pancakes which I do every year. Not the American style version, British pancakes are much more like a crepe but thicker and made from only flour, milk and eggs. Very simple but most delicious. As you can see from the pictures, my children thoroughly enjoyed them. Last night we had a special treat for the filling; bananas, Galaxy, caramel chocolate bar from the UK, (the best chocolate ever) chocolate chips, marshmallows, ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream!! Yes a child's dream come true. My Mum and I just went with the traditional freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar, can't beat it!!

I know that the Lord is calling me to walk more closely with Him. I see those areas in my own life where I have allowed things to creep in and consume my thought life. If I am totally honest with you there has been an area in my life where I have not been putting Jesus first. Every morning when I wake up, I usually head downstairs and make a cup of tea. It is the only cup of tea I drink all day, unless I have a rooibos later in the day. I head back upstairs for my quiet time with Jesus, only I do not open my Bible first. Nope, I am afraid to say that for quite some time now, I have formed the habit of opening my laptop, checking my emails, checking blogs and now since I have been on FB, checking out the lives of my friends!

It began to dawn on me just last week that I have been filling my thoughts with so much other stuff before I come to Jesus. He is always there waiting longingly for me, desiring to speak so many truths to my heart if I will only come and spend time with Him first. The problem was not that I missed quiet times with Him, (although honestly there would be days when I had spent too much time with other's on their blogs, that I did not have enough time with my Creator) but that I was not putting Him first. I was not allowing Him to fill my heart and mind with His word first thing in the morning and committing my day to Him before I embarked upon the events going on in my life and the world. For me it has been as issue of priority. And my Lord has not been my first priority each day. Yes I am being real with you all. What is the point of keeping a blog if we are not transparent with each other through it.

I suppose technically I began my 'Lent' last week when I determined to put Jesus first every morning. He now comes before email, blogs and FB and I am honestly having a whale of a time with Him. To the point that by the time my sweet time with Jesus is over, I am so fulfilled and satisfied in Him that I do not need to open my lap top right away. Jesus truly meets all our needs and longings but so many times I have failed by trying to have my needs met with other things. So this year, I am giving up putting these things before Jesus in a morning. It may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to me it really is. It has already made such a huge change in this last week.

'But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added

unto you.'

Matthew 6:33

The after effects of pancakes...... oh dear, this is why we do this just once a year!

Whatever you choose to give up this year for Lent, may it be so that your heart will draw closer to Him through the sacrifice.

Pancake Recipe

• 8oz/230g all purpose/plain flour
• Pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups/600ml milk
• 2 tsp melted butter plus melted butter for cooking

Preparation:

Makes 12 pancakes

• Sieve the flour into a large baking bowl, add the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and beat well until smooth and lump free.
• Add half the milk and the 2 tsp of butter, beat well. Add the remaining milk and stir.
• Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
• Lightly grease a pancake pan or frying pan with a little melted butter, heat until very hot and add a ladle of batter to evenly and thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook until set and lightly golden. Flip over (if you are really brave try tossing the pancake in the air, great fun) and cook on the other side for approx 30 seconds.
• Remove the pancake from the pan, place on a sheet of kitchen paper and keep warm. Continue as above until all the batter is used up.