The Betty Crocker cookbook tells this story: “In 1930, Carl Smith, an executive at General Mills, took a Southern Pacific train from Portland to San Francisco. Entering the dining car well after the dinner hour, he included an order for biscuits with his dinner and settled down for a long wait. Smith was surprised when his fresh and hot biscuits arrived in record time, and he asked the chef for his secret. The chef gave him the secret -- the biscuit mix of lard, flour, baking powder and salt was mixed ahead of time and stored in the icebox.

“Smith was intrigued, and on his return to General Mills he discussed the idea of developing the first baking mix with the company’s chief chemist. At this time there were no prepared baking mixes on the market. General Mills worked to overcome the challenges of preparing a mix that wouldn’t need refrigeration, keeping the baking powder active and developing the exact blend of ingredients that would produce biscuits as good as -- or better than -- homemade.

“It soon became clear that Bisquick variety baking mix, advertised under the slogan ‘Makes Anybody a Perfect Biscuit Maker,’ could be used for much more than biscuits. Recipes were developed for meat pies, coffee cakes, pancakes, nut breads, shortcakes, dumplings, cookies, waffles, muffins and cobblers.”

OK with you if I adapt the story a bit?

John Jones, a man like you and me, began his torturous journey from birth to death. Years later, he entered the local church, settling down for a long wait for wisdom to arrive. Jones was surprised when the promise of eternal life was given to him in record time. He asked the pastor what the secret was, and the pastor gave him the secret: “Agree you are a sinner and confess that sin to God. This secret was mixed together thousands of years ago and has been stored in the hearts and minds of many.”

Jones was intrigued, and on his return to his family and job site he shared this secret with many. He also wanted to overcome the challenges of following Christ in this world and wanted to find the way to keep his faith active and producing as good as -- or better than -- when he first accepted Christ. It soon became clear that his faith, advertised under the slogan “Christ Makes Anybody a Perfect Child of the Kingdom,” could be used for much more than that. He developed a plan for personal and corporate prayer, regular Bible study, tithing, service to his family, his community and the world, and sharing of his secret recipe with everyone he met!

Bisquick is quite a product. The Gift of God is beyond compare!