Chili making contest

Luke 9:17 They all ate and were satisfied.

Our church brings together all worship teams which are part of our various church services through a meet on a monthly basis so we all get an opportunity to meet and know each other and learn and grow. Being part of Indian worship team, I always felt too small in knowledge and skills compared to the main worship team who are simply phenomenal. After bailing out couple times, I decided that I should attend the next time. This time was a fun event with chili competition and costume competition. For some reason, my eyes got drawn towards the chili competition. Ideally I am not the kind who participates in any competition. And I have not made proper chili before. The only closest to chili I have made is dump the soaked beans and a packet chili powder in the crockpot and cook which doesn’t sell well at my home. But still, I somehow felt interested in signing up for the competition because I love to take food to church. I consider that a blessing.

As the day of the event neared, I started to feel very nervous. I have never gone for such meets before and I felt inadequate to be part of this meet. On the day of the event, I started to feel like my beginning days in the worship team. Both these experiences seemed very similar. I joined the worship team purely out of gratitude towards God for what He has done in my life and not because of my talent or skill. So initially I was clueless on how to integrate with the music and sing. I felt the same way for this competition because I had no idea on how to make a real chili or if it is tastes the expected way. That morning I prayed earnestly that God would not put me to shame and people would try my chili. By God’s grace I came across a recipe that sounded good for traditional chili and I followed it.

It looked good and smelled good, but still I had not much idea on what it should taste like to be an authentic chili. I gave 2 bowls with few spoonful chili to my sons to try the taste. They both said that it tasted good and they wanted to try more.Then I headed to church as a nervous wreck. My younger son came with me to help bring the slow cooker and as we kept it there, he again asked if there would be left over. I didn’t answer as my plight was that will any one try and like it even. I had no idea on how such competition would be held. My interest was not on the competition part or the winning part. I just had the interest to take food to church. But felt clueless on what to expect there.

I felt nervous just as how I started in the worship team. I would like to share the story of how I started off in the worship team. Around 2006, a preacher came from India. We were part of a small prayer group and a friend who led worship asked me also to be part of worship team which had just 3 or 4 women. I refused so strongly that I cannot. But I could not sleep that night. I felt God asking me the question “I gave you one opportunity to glorify Me and is that how you respond?”. And I kept replying, “Lord, how can I of all people go to the front and sing? You know that I have anxiety issues and then how can I possibly do”. But God wouldn’t address my justification but He kept asking me the same question. I felt like I denied Jesus that day by refusing in such a strong way about worship. I felt that I was getting no where in this debate and I was losing sleep too. So finally I said, “Ok Lord. Tomorrow I will tell him that I can be part of the worship” and then I slept. I did take part in the worship with so much nervousness. And that day, the preacher prophesied about me. That was the first time I got a prophecy so I was overwhelmed and was in tears and so could not remember most of what he said. I remembered only one line that God will fill my mouth with words.

A decade later, when Indian church was started as part of the American church, the Pastor in Indian church asked me to be part of the worship team. This time I had no debate about being part of the worship time as I have gone through the drill earlier. Because God had been so faithful in my life and had been my Ebenezer and carried me thus far, so I asked myself, “How can I of all people say No to this?”. Even though I didn’t have music knowledge or skills, I readily said yes. God has brought me a long way from where I started and now I earnestly pray to be anointed to do worship in a way that brings pleasing aroma unto His presence.

Back to my chili story, people did try my chili too. There were few people who even so graciously asked which one I brought and they tried that. I told them that this is my first time making chili like this. And there were 5 categories for prizes – Zesty/Spicy, Richest/Thickest, Most Creative, Most like Mom’s(traditional) and Best Overall. To my great surprise, I got the prize for ‘Richest/Thickest’. Usually if I take food to church, I would be very happy if all my food gets over with no left over meaning people liked it. This time, more than receiving a prize, which even could have been as encouraging a newbie, what I felt so happy about is that most of my chili got over and when I brought the crockpot home, both my sons had just enough leftover to test elaborately this time.

And I remembered my meditation part over which I prayed in the morning for my chili. Luke 9:17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. I had just enough left over for both my kids to have. How much attention God gives even to the details!

Also, this is a great motivation for me to do something which I had put on the back burner for sometime now. I had this desire to cook hot food for homeless people in the streets. I didn’t do it yet. But making this chili which turned out good is like a reminder to me from God to put into effect as it is soon going to be winter and a hot meal would be much benefited for people in need. Praising God for His sweet presence in my littlest things! AMEN!