Roasted Parmesan Brussel Sprouts

"Do not grumble against one another, brothers 

 and sisters, so that you may not be judged."  

James 5:9

Food for the Palate

Ingredients:

3 cups of Brussel sprouts, halved

3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of a lemon

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 lemon (save for later)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400F  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl add all of your ingredients, except for 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and mix gently. 

Lay your Brussel sprouts on to your lined baking sheet cut sides up. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Before serving squeeze fresh lemon juice over them. Tasty to the Palate!

Food for the Soul

So, I have a trivia question for you: "What is the most popular Christmas Wine?" Give up? Answer: "I don't like Brussel sprouts." Ha ha. More children whine about Brussel sprouts than almost any other vegetable. And honestly, as a kid I did too. There is nothing worse than mushy boiled Brussel sprouts out of a freezer bag! It wasn't until I become an adult that I learned that these funny looking green balls could be roasted with delicious herbs and seasonings!

Whining seems to be something that we humans tend to do a lot of as children, and it's even worse as adults! One of my favorite books of all time is “The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis. This book is about a senior demon named Screwtape. He is writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, a young and unproven demon. The letters instruct Wormwood on how to keep someone called "the Patient", from becoming a Christian. The novel is a mocking and amusing portrayal of human weaknesses and the spiritual warfare between good and evil.  As Wormwood begins to mature, he realizes that one of the greatest ways to complete his task at hand is to pit Christians against either other. He did this by tempting them with comparing themselves with each other, along with realizing that they are unhappy and dissatisfied with what they already have. As you get into the characters of this book, mainly the demons, you start to realize that the antidotes that they try to manipulate the Patient into falling prey to are not unlike some of our own personal behaviors. And pretty soon you are reading about whiny, gossipy, dissatisfied brothers and sisters in Christ who frequently tear each other down.

A lot of us don't like studying the book of James in the Bible. You see, James is writing specifically to Christians about how they should be living life, loving God and others, and how they should be treating each other as God's family. Our sinful nature would rather read all about the great things that we have been given as a believer in Jesus Christ, not the things that we should be doing because that is too convicting, and let's be honest, we don't like to be convicted! 

Anyone can whine, criticize, condemn and complain about another person, but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. James 5:9 tells us, "Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged."  Basically, James is saying that God died, rose again and ascended into heaven so that we could live as winners, not whiners!  So, you don't have to love Brussel sprouts. But when it comes to loving each other, God leaves no room for whining!