Season of Light

Hello again----

 It's hard to believe a week has passed since my last post. It has been a very long week both physically and emotionally. Today we saw three fully packed bags off and suddenly our room is much emptier and reality hit hard...again. But, Sunday night Hanukkah started! I introduced my husband to latkes, but to cater more to his palette, I made them with a Dominican flair! I will include the recipe at the end of this post. However, I wanted to reflect on a few things in this season of light for both Christians and Jews. 

Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, you have to admit the lights make this a beautiful time of year. People get so creative with how they decorate their homes; different colors and designs, some use a lot of lights, some a few, some don't decorate outside at all, but you can see the warm glow coming from within. With moving out of the country I have not invested in a lot of lights, but I did purchase a single strand of blue to place on my door. A few off brand command hooks from Dollar General completed the decorating as my husband and I wrapped the lights around the hooks to create a Star of David. I did this for several reasons: 1) My hanukkiah cannot be placed in a window because I do not have one with a sill for it to sit on. 2) I like lights. 3) I associate with the Messianic Jewish faith. However, stepping back and reflecting, other thoughts come to mind.

Have you ever stopped and just looked at the lights. No, I mean really looked at the lights? Distancing yourself from the stresses and distractions around you and just sat (or stand if you are like me and don't like the cold ground) and soaked in what you were seeing? Just think for a second about that one place that has the best/prettiest lights, the place that you could just be there for a while. Now, picture that one place that has the worst/ugliest lights that you just can't stand or get past fast enough. Here is what I want you to consider: what is the difference between these two places? Why do you love the one and dislike the other? Here is my guess as to why:

Place you love                                             
Not overdone                                                       

Good flow in design/color                                      

Not trying to compete with neighbors     

Takes a plain/ugly place and beautifies it  

Place you dislike
Garish 
Chaotic flow in design/color
Trying to outdo the entire neighborhood
Tries to cover up the plain/ugliness

What strikes me is how similar that is to Evangelism. Now, everyone has their own color and design of evangelism. There are the street corner evangelists, relational evangelists; then there are those that think they are better or are “right” and everyone else is wrong. Evangelism may not even be on their radar or they are too focused on trying to prove how wrong someone is to effectively share the Gospel or whatever they have to say.

Think about it, what type of person are you more drawn too? The encouraging, relational, same-as-you person, or the street corner, bullhorn, holier than thou person? Who are you more inclined to listen to if you are in line at Walmart with them? What color or method is best?

Consider this. In the darkness a white light shines brightest. Does that mean the white light is best? If you are used to the dark, a white light is blinding, but a red light is more inviting. After the red a blue or green light is brighter and welcome then at last the white light is welcome and bright allowing you to see much better than the red, green or blue lights.

Just like there are different types of light there are different types of evangelism. And maybe some people need the bright white light immediately, and maybe others need to be nurtured up through the ranks finally reaching that white light. Maybe your neighbor rejects the bible thumping, street corner, brimstone and fire, white light method of evangelism, but receives the friendly greeting, genuine caring, let’s talk over coffee red light method better. After feeling comfortable with the red light maybe he might begin asking questions that you can answer non-judgmental and matter of fact-ly: blue light. Then maybe slowly this neighbor warms up to attending church events sporadically: green light. Maybe after many years he starts attending church and gets baptized: white light.   

So, the question is this: what kind of light are you? There is no right or wrong light in this dark world. The only wrong is when you choose to hide your light out of hatred, arrogance or lack of caring. Regardless of if you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, etc, think about who we are. We are children of the Creator of the Universe. Some of us have lights and some of us don't or have a burned out or tired lights. Look at this darkness, we can come together and create beauty in the eyes of God and man. 

Picture again your favorite spot to see the lights, a skyline, a neighborhood, a church, the zoo, etc. Would it not be as beautiful if it was year round? What if your light was the last one a person saw...is it welcoming or repulsing? It's the season of light, maybe it should always be that season...just a thought.

Dominican Flare Latkes

Makes 20-30 bite size latkes

5-6 Plantains

1 Medium - large onion

3 Eggs

1/3-1/2 cup flour

Salt (1 Tablespoon..ish)

Pepper (to taste)

Fresh Cilantro (5-6 sprigs)

1 tsp. Lime juice

Garlic Salt (to taste)

Sage (to taste) (optional)

Dominican Seasoning (to taste) (optional)

Oil for frying

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Grate onion and plantains. Mix in eggs and seasonings. Add flour little by little until batter will hold together.

Heat oil then lower to a high-medium heat (7 on a electric stove). For bite size latkes, drop batter by tablespoon full into oil. Fry until edges are golden brown then flip and fry another 3-4 minutes. Remove from oil and cool on paper towel covered plate or cookie sheet.  

Serve with: sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole

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**To reheat the next day** place single layer on cookie sheet and place in 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy

**do not refrigerate latkes** You can freeze them but refrigeration causes them to loose their crispness

Notes: Plantains are softer than potatoes so they fry at a lower temperature