Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, January 12, 2023

I had heard it is possible to cook tortillas directly on an electric stove, so I decided to give it a try. Under low to medium heat, it worked great. However, I was a little concerned while approaching it for the first time. What if the dough stuck to the surface or burned? My wife reassured me that she had seen it done before on a curly electric element, so it should work on a flat one. Sure enough, it worked and since it is getting more direct heat, it seemed to cook a little better than on a pan.

In thinking about a topic for a photo parable, this process reminded me about how Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven.

Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.
Luke 13:20,21

Tortillas don’t have yeast, but sometimes they have baking powder to make them bubble a little. It is like when someone listens to the words of Jesus and incorporates them into their life, it permeates everything they do.

A couple aspects I like in the words of Jesus revolve around truth and love. I think those things go together. If someone approaches problems with love, it gives them a different aspect on how to solve things positively and creatively. They might even approach new ways of doing things, kind of like trying to cook tortillas directly on an electric element. We can approach new things cautiously but lovingly.