Am I Really Faithful? Sauteed Summer Squash

The question today is:

Am I really faithful to the blogging world?

I have been taken over by fresh produce.....tis the season!

Summer squash is one of my favorites.

I entered my kitchen with an idea in mind.

And as I entered the kitchen my son called and asked if him and his fiancee could come for dinner. Of course, a mother never turns down dinner with her children.

I was in such a rush to prepare dinner, that I totally forgot about my camera, taking notes, and preparing for my faithful audience (YOU).

So since I don't have a picture of my creation, I will describe it the best way I know how.

I sliced four small/medium summer squash (about 1/4 inch thick), (washed and unpeeled)

(keep in mind that I am cooking for 5 people. You can make the amounts smaller)

I sliced a ring of smoked sausage the same way

I chopped (1/4 - 1/2 c.) fresh cilantro

1/2 purple onion, sliced

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. season salt

crushed black pepper

I heated 2 TBS of olive oil in a skillet on med/high heat. When the oil was heated, I added the above ingredients. I don't like my squash mushy, so I sauteed it til the squash was crisp/tender (just before it turns glassy looking).

I am kicking myself, punching myself, and leaving bruises, because I am so upset about not having pictures for you. This creation was fantastic.....

"I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the strorerooms and made Hanan son Zaccur, the son Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy."

Nehemiah 13:10-14

There is a priest, a scribe, a Levite, and layman. All four represent various aspects of the life of Israel and share one great quality: "These men were considered trustworthy."

I have noticed today that faithfulness is a quality not highly esteemed. It is disturbing to me at times to see how few people take seriously the responsibility to carry through faithfully what they have undertaken.

Faithfulness is a quality that God admires, and one of the primary things God looks for (the ability to hang-in with an assignment until it is fulfilled, the willingness to take on responsibility year after year, not needing to be praised or thanked or publicly encouraged in order to perform, to work unto the Lord).

I look for four qualities in leaders.

1. I look for a searching mind: A person who is mentally alert, who has curiosity about life, who wants to learn all the time. This type of person is reading, always listening, always thinking about what he or she hears, and trying to reason out what is behind it.

2. I look for a humble heart: Someone whose ego is not on the line all the time. I look for someone who understands that service is a privilege; that power is not conferred upon a person by an office, but by serving people.

3. I look for a gift: God's people are gifted people. When Christians know what the gift is, they always enjoy doing it. It is not a burden, it is a delight. I look for people who have the gift for what we are asking them to do, because they will stay with it and enjoy it to the end.

4. I look for "bracing up" all of thee above and making them possible: Someone who will not quit, who sees his/her work as a ministry of service, who has undertaken it out of gratitude in his/her own life and heart, and no matter how tough things get, that someone will not quit.