I'm not going to lie, I love baked things...cakes, muffins, breads, cinnamon rolls...yeah, definitely cinnamon rolls...it's a problem.  I know there are a million and one reasons to avoid them but I simply can't get enough, and currently, my standard resolve to resist the forbidden fruit doesn't seem so impervious. That said, I was chatting with my friend Morgan the other day and he starts telling me of a seemingly magical place not too far from where I live called, "The Old Biscuit Mill."  Apparently, 100's of baked good artisans from all over our city gather there every Saturday morning to sell their tasty treats.  It was a no-brainer - to the Biscuit Mill we went!

As it turns out, the Biscuit Mill is a pretty popular Cape Town spot on Saturday morning.  Not only do they sell baked things, but also organic stuff like fruit, vegetables and other food items that make the space look lovely, yet found no particular value for immediate consumption, at least not with my group.

 To give you a better idea of what we were dealing with here's a few photos:

As best I could tell, most gathered at the Biscuit Mill last Saturday had rallied around a common objective - FOOD.  This wasn't any ordinary, everyday type food either.  It was wonderful, amazing, sexy food displayed in a warehouse for mass consumption.  It was brilliant!

 I went to 'The Mill' to find a baked treat, but I ended up with a steak sandwich.

Driving home I thought to myself, "Who eats steak when they really want a muffin?" which immediately made me think of the woman who sold me that sandwich.  My wife and I were casually discussing our options having completed the initial exploratory loop around the premises, when the steak lady began her unsolicited spiel.  In all honesty, we had absolutely no intention of having a steak sandwich that day, but the lady was so proud of her steak and so convincing that it would be the best sandwich of our lives, that in the end, despite our desire and intentions to have a muffin, we both had steak instead.

I must admit, the steak lady was right, it was probably the best steak sandwich of my life!

That experience made me think of something I once read from a 16th century scholar called William Tyndale.  He wrote, "If our desire is to please God then pouring water, washing dishes, cobbling shoes, and preaching the Word is all one."  I don't know if the steak lady at the Old Biscuit Mill is a Christ-follower or not, but she certainly approaches her work as I believe Jesus would instruct us to do.  The steak lady placed a high value on her work.  She was proud of what she did and she seemed to pursue her task with diligence and passion.  In fact, every kiosk tender I interacted with at the Old Biscuit Mill had that similar disposition - they enthusiastically pursued their work as I believe they all feel it is an art; an expression of who they are.

I want to be more like the steak lady in my pursuit to live for God.  I want to pursue the things of life with passion and excellence that they might serve as a rightful expression, not of who I am, but of who God is within me.

It was a good trip to the Biscuit Mill.  I saw a glimpse of the glory of God expressed in the work of those who sold their goods.  I had an excellent steak sandwich, and I need to return one saturday when my war on pastries subsides.

Have you ever met a steak lady?

                                                                                                                                   SDG - Aaron

200 million and 1...

To blog or not to blog, it's a question that seems reoccurring, and at times, something like a fungus or awkward skin irritation that will not desist.  I suppose my issue with joining what some refer to as the "blogoshere," or another calls the "blogscape,"  is one of personal value.  I simply don't find myself that interesting - ok, I take that back, I do find myself interesting, even entertaining at times, but certainly not so interesting and so entertaining that friends, acquaintances, and or, perfect strangers should find some degree of amusement with my publicly displayed musings.  Yet, now several YEARS into this process of justifying why I should not, am not and will not tweet, blog or otherwise....here I am...To Who the blog is born today!

This is me, Aaron Tredway.

If current statistics on blogging are true, you have just over 200 million blog options to choose from.  If you speak Mandarin or some dialect thereof, you're in luck...almost 1 of 2 blogs in the world come from China; similar to soccer balls, paper cups, the computer I'm typing on, and those excellent rice-paper candies as well.  That said, I set out on this blogging journey today, and I hope the things discussed in this public space will find value.  I intend to write once or twice a week, and share about people I meet, places I go, and things I encounter that speak of and point to the glory of God.  As Oswald Chambers once wrote, "Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to God . . . the greatest competitor of devotion to God is service for Him."  It's not my intention to point you away from serving God, but rather to open a dialogue that compels you to exalt the name of Jesus in an ever increasing way.  

So, what can I say...amongst other credentials I hold, like former college ping pong player, a PhD thesis title so long and complex I can never remember it, and a 1-game professional basketball career in the Central Asian country Tajikistan, I'm now a blogger.      . . .  SDG