give us this day our daily bread

have any of you ever made bread? well i did yesterday and let me tell you this - it takes a really long time. and it sort of takes a lot of work.  yesterday was a good day for it though. rainy, cold, justin recovering from a stomach bug and loads of america's next top model on tv.  plus, i just bought a new loaf pan so of course i had to put it to use.  i've decided i love the idea of making bread far more than i actually like making it. you have to do everything just right. get the water just the right temperature - too cold and it doesn't activate the yeast, too hot and it kills it. you have to add just the right amount of flour (which was about a cup more than the recipe called for) and you have to mix and knead and wait and then knead and wait some more. it is one looooong process. that was fine yesterday. i could sit on the porch in between and read and drink coffee or watch antm, because it was sunday without small groups so i had plenty of time. all i'm saying is, i could never do it on a normal day AND no wonder bakers have to get up before the cracking of dawn.  

well my bread turned out beautifully and actually tastes ok. the problem is, we don't really eat a lot of bread. so i'm going to have to find something to do with this loaf of perfection.  it did make me think about that part of the Lord's prayer "give us this day our daily bread" and how i just say it and think "yes, Lord, provide for my needs" because clearly providing bread is as simple as going to the store and buying some bread. but now that i've actually made bread and it's such a freaking process i think it changes my perspective a little bit. providing bread sans grocery store - a major undertaking. it just puts a little more weight into that line of the prayer we say once a week.