Have you ever had a front seat to someone else’s amazing journey? Like popping popcorn and watching it all unfold? Not in the context of a thrill seeker, sitting safely removed from the comfort of an armchair, but more like a fan screaming in the bleachers cheering them on, sharing their emotions? Have you ever been so inspired by someone else that it’s hard for you to think of anything else?  Your mind constantly wanders to them in quiet moments and you try to imagine what will be next. You wonder how it’s all going to work out, or what it is going to look like?

Me neither.

Just kidding. That is 100% absolutely where I am at right now.  I have a friend who is stepping out in faith big time.  She just left a job she had been in for years and years.  It was a job that she has so much gratitude for and loved the people she worked with, and she was very very good at it.  Yet, still, she left.  She left because she heard God’s voice calling her to do something else.  He spoke, she acted.  It is breathtaking in its audacity.  It is hard for me to even capture this amazing leap in mere words.  I want to write that she has no assurance that it will all work out, but that isn’t exactly true.  She heard from God, so that seems pretty certain.  On the other hand, her faith and her relationship with God is so real.  She asks hard questions, she asks funny questions, she has doubts.  It is not the most original thought to write that faith is not the absence of doubt (no joke, google it and you will a ton of quotes all slightly different saying something similar), but it is true.  Faith is a choice.  It is a choice to believe, in spite of doubt, in spite of questions, in spite of not having proof.  It is a courageous choice.

So this week, I stand screaming in the stands for my friend as she begins a new journey she chose.  It is so inspiring, and I am all in.  As I told her when the vision came, I don’t have any answers, but I will walk with her and pray for her and wherever she goes, I will go with her, her dreams will be my dreams.

But wait, was bread involved?  Well, no, not at all.  But here is the carb-loaded pivot.  Aren’t people amazing?  So many people have encountered my friend and never knew these thoughts and passion and faith lived in her heart.  It is not that she isn’t open about it, but in our day to day lives we can’t know everything about everyone.  But I know if someone was paying attention and looking closely, they could see that spark, that faith she is living out.  I am guessing they sensed her passion and maybe they couldn’t name it, but I bet they at least were warmed by it.  And I guess that is part of the point of my little project here.  I love people.  I love learning more about them.  I like seeing something in people and celebrating it.

With the above in mind, this week’s giveaway was to the lovely ladies working the counter at the local bank.  I go in from time to time, and they always strike me as a fun lot who smiles warmly at everyone who comes in.  I watch them connect with person after person as they step up to the front, and I am equally struck by the fact that most people respond genuinely warmly back.  I always marvel when I stumble across a little bit of humanity that feels a bit old world in this modern life where we do everything on our phones.  There is something in their smiles, and while I can’t name their passion, I can see it there.  I hope they enjoyed the bread as a little treat and celebration of Friday night.

And speaking of the bread, this week’s giveaway was a fantastic bread I highly encourage you to make.  It is a French variety of quick bread called Cake Salé, that stands for savory cake.  In this case, it is a cheese and herb bread, but the general term Cake Salé refers to any savory bread or cake made in a loaf pan.  You can read more about it and get the recipe here, Cake Salé.  On the spectrum of ease of bread making, where a starter from scratch and a twelve step process to make bread is on one end, this quick bread is on the absolute other end of the spectrum.  The easy end.  It is so quick to put together, you can go from idea to into the oven in 20 minutes, but probably less.  You could (and should!) probably throw it together today to share with someone whose spark and passion warms your life too, someone you are a wild cheering fan of.