Thanks for Mother's Day...and a new outlook on commitment...

                                                                                

What's Up Kairos Fans,

                                          First, I want to thank all of you for helping to make last Sunday the most successful Mother’s Day ever at Kairos. It makes my heart smile to see all of you guys lined up to eat our food. Actually, it is a dream come true...

The Specials next week are some of your favorites with a few twists on some new things I’ve been playing with. For the dessert special, Branden and I found a recipe that uses crushed Oreos, cream cheese, and chocolate. It’s really simple, but also fantastically good... they end up as little balls smothered in chocolate. I hope you will let me know what you think of them.

 The Special is BBQ Chicken Baked Ziti, always a winner here. It combines the smoky taste of our BBQ Sauce with cheddar, bacon, and mozzarella. The T.G.I.H. Special is a fresh Salmon Salad, a little on the lighter side but still packed with flavor! It is one of my personal favorites.

 The Fish is a Salmon Recipe that I came up with almost by accident, it is pan seared with a glaze that combines the flavors of honey, mustard, and cayenne pepper. I learned that Cayenne Pepper and Honey actually go together very well. You never know if you don’t try something.

Last year Kairos hosted a “Man-Food” buffet for Father’s Day. We got a lot of interest in it, but it seemed like we didn’t have a large stream of people show up. I was a little discouraged, and after some investigation I found out that for Father’s Day most folks like to do stuff around the house with Dad instead of going out.

This year, instead of doing a big buffet in Kairos, I thought it would be neat to offer a Father’s Day “Man-Food” Karry-out. Something similar to what we did last year at Christmas: Have everything ready for you to pop in the oven, and then you can enjoy the Delicious Goodness of Kairos at home for Father’s Day! Let me know what you think!

I had another dream come to pass this week. Because of my background, it has always been a heart’s desire for me to work with people who have been incarcerated. We have been very successful here at Kairos in working with a lot of wonderful folks who need a chance at a new life, but I haven’t done a whole lot of things with people who are actually still in prison.

This week I started a class at Donaldson Correctional Facility called “Life After Prison”. It is both humbling and exciting to be able to share with the guys the things I learned to prepare for my "Life" after prison. Most of the lessons are drawn from my own experience before and after being incarcerated.

The neat part for me was that I went there to try to be a blessing and inspire them, and I left there both blessed and inspired myself! It’s always interesting to me that when I begin to share advice with others that God will turn around and share that same advice back with me!

We talked this week about our potential, and how “Potential is interesting. Actions are everything.” We all have the potential to do all sorts of great and wonderful things, but until we commit to putting action with it, then it just remains potential.

For the past 2 years I have had the potential of producing a great cookbook, but it’s hard to find the time to write. I have the introductions and the outline finished, but I always seem to find a reason not to sit down and write. These guys at Donaldson have inspired me to finish what I’ve started by putting action behind my potential, and to quit coming up with excuses not to finish.

There is a quote I read many years ago that always inspires me and scares me at the same time because it encourages you to believe in what God has put in your heart and at the same time take a course of action to follow it up.

"The moment you definitely commit yourself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help you that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of things takes place, such as unforeseen happenings or meeting certain people or being provided material assistance which you never dreamt would come your way." ~W.H. Murray

I read this quote when I kept thinking about and dreaming about opening a restaurant called Kairos Kafe. It helped spur me to action, and when I began moving and becoming committed to what God put in my heart, He began moving and making all kinds of things happen that blows my mind to think about.

Only you and I know what course of Action that we need to be committed to. What is it that we have the potential to be?

God Bless You and Have an Awesome Week!!!

If you would like to see me making Kairos Cucumber-Tomato Salad and get the recipe, click on the link below.

James making Kairos Cucumber-Tomato Salad