By Lois Hewitt

Cayenne Pepper.  What it has taught me.

All my life I feared all peppers and hot spices. I felt my system too fragile to handle.

Meals were plain with a bit of black pepper and a touch of salt.

Once I gave up processed and fast food, I noticed a need in my system for more flavor.

Gone were the unhealthy oils and food additives.  My scratch cooking lacked a savory taste.

Barbara O’Neil explained the difference between cayenne and other peppers that is leading me down a new path.

Cayenne is not hot and burning like a habenaro, but subtly warm.  It can cause a momentary tingle on the tongue and in the throat.

Its health benefits outweigh any inconvience. So I started with a small shake.  Then a full shake.  Now a couple seems to do the trick. The heat is missed if I do not use it.

I have fallen in love with cayenne and its taste and its subtle heat.  I feel it working inside me to bring about better blood pressure, better blood flow and a cleansing that only comes from the fire.

So it is with the Christian life, I am finding. You may be bland and plain for a time but it will come when you are asked to be a bit of heat.  Not scorching but distinct and present. 

We are called to make a stand.  Some will appear like a Scotch Bonnet, hot and irritating.  Others will appear like a poblano, with hardly a notice.

The cayenne rests between the two.  With a kick but not a burn.  I am in a cayenne state of mind at this time.

I see the jokes on social media about Easter. And the blatant disregard for Christian beliefs. This from many screaming voices that say they need everyone to bow down to them and submit.  They call Christians hypocrites and then marginalize our beliefs. The very definition of hypocracy.

Christians are not called to be more perfect than anyone else.  We, just like all people, are not able to achieve perfection.  Yes, the church and religion have hurt people, but so has every other organized group of people.  Hurt happens across the board.

The voices screaming hate belong to the one screaming. Not to any group they claim alliance with. 

I, personally, do not feel the need to scream but I will turn up the heat when my Lord is mocked.

I seek not to mock you yet my faith is in an open season. I believe the strength of my faith is in the lamb but there is also a lion nearby.

My mood is very cayenne at the moment.  I do not like the direction in which the world is heading. Maybe a touch of cayenne is needed.