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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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Tomato Soup As Far As the Eye Can See!
Posted on February 23, 2010
Filed Under Personal | 21 Comments
When our kids were little, I had the responsibility of putting them to bed.
One of the stories that I used to read to them was “McBroom’s Zoo”. If you’ve never read it, it would be impossible to explain. However, a piece of it has to do with a tornado that ripped through the McBroom’s tomato patch and ended up covering everything with catsup.
To some extent, I relived that story today.
It started out very innocently (as all of these things I get into usually do). I love soup and for my lunch I decided I would make some tomato soup. I put it in a glass mixing bowl, added the water & milk, put it in the microwave oven and prepared to push the buttons to magically convert cold into hot. That was exactly when the phone rang. It was a good friend who had some serious questions and so my mind immediately went to his situation.
Now, unfortunately, the male mind (or my mind) is fairly single track. So, not having the multi-tasking female brain, I simply punched the “three” button three times thinking that would get me 3 minutes and 33 seconds—close enough to the 3 ½ minutes listed on the can as proper heating time.
As you may have already guessed, that’s not what happened. Whatever I pushed and however many times I pushed, ended up instructing my microwave to heat for something more like 3 days, 3 hours and 3 minutes—something closer to the realm reserved for roasting a medium sized hippopotamus.
Anyway, I walked away concentrating on the phone call and came back just before the tomato soup reached critical mass and entered the nuclear fusion stage. My first confused thought was toying with why the microwave was still running. My second thought was whether or not I really wanted to open the door. I hesitated because I couldn’t see through the dark red film that now coated the little window.
When I did open the door, it wasn’t a pretty sight. There was catsup as far as the eye could see. It covered the entire inside of the microwave…the door, the window, the light, the glass plate…everything. But it looked like very old catsup, kinda like the stuff that doesn’t get wiped off of an old catsup bottle in a restaurant that you probably shouldn’t be eating in.
All of that, however, didn’t make me lose my appetite. I was still hungry, so I wondered if there was anything left in the bowl.
There was, but what was left didn’t look much like tomato soup. I remembered that I had covered the bowl with a paper towel. Smart. That was to keep the tomato soup from splattering the inside of the microwave.
But the paper towel had obviously become saturated with the pre-fusion liquid and as the paper on the rim of the bowl caught fire, the middle section dropped into the red molten sea. I’m not a chemical engineer, so I couldn’t begin to understand the molecular transformation that obviously then took place as the paper towel and the tomato lava became chemically one.
But one they did become.
I just couldn’t figure out what that “one” was.
I’m also not a physician, but my first thought was that it looked like a spleen.
Stories quickly ran through my mind of how people had unwittingly created things through their mistakes and accidents.
It looked like an organ.
But since I don’t believe in evolution, I discarded any notion that it might possibly be alive.
Whatever it was, I decided that it most certainly wasn’t going into my mouth and so I fed it to the disposal.
An hour later, I finally had the bowl, the plate, and the microwave looking close to what they did before I started “cooking”.
I celebrated by having a bowl of Trix.
That was much safer.
Isn’t it amazing how sometimes the simplest of things in our lives end up becoming so convoluted and complicated?
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and comments, for your notes and calls and letters and everything that you have done in response to my last blog, which was almost a month ago. I think I needed the time off.
Much has transpired, but nothing has really changed. There have been more moments of profound sadness and a lot of deep sighing. But I know, because you have told me and refreshed in my mind, the absolute truth and comfort found in God’s love and care. I also realize how many of you are going through these same kinds of trials. I wish that I had the time and capacity to respond to each of you. But, lacking that, let me express how much your responses have meant to me.
There is within me an increased wonder and awe at the profound unity and love throughout the body of Christ.
Thank you for expressing that.
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21 Responses to “Tomato Soup As Far As the Eye Can See!”
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Del, I read your blog and thanked God for laughter- loved your soup story…
Something amazing happened in Wisconsin the sun was shining while snow was falling, it was amazing, just like our God. It was so beautiful-like crystals falling from the sky. It reminded me that in the storm, we can still smile and be awed.
I have 6 children-3 prodigals and want to thank those who posted encouragement to you, they encouraged me as well. Someone posted that if they could die of a broken heart they wouldn’t be here (or something close to that), it put my pain into words. But I am so thankful that we serve a God who binds the brokenhearted.
Thanks for your transparency, for sharing your life and your struggles- it isn’t easy to have prodigals, so we pray harder, hope, continue to laugh at “life” and celebrate (wink).
Blessings to you and your family,
Alicia
This is… amazing. I can’t explain it properly. Haha. Thank you!
I am amazed you could get that stuff out of the microwave without renting a jackhammer!
I am in a study group that is going through the Truth Project. Thank you so much for putting all the time and effort into making this resource available. It is a much needed study for all Christians, and is shedding light on many things about our culture that I sometimes find very hard to understand – like why an individual can feel strongly that it is wrong to kill puppies in an animal shelter and at the same time support abortion.
My husband and I are enjoying the Truth Project immensely.
I pray God will continue to strengthen you and encourage you. And thanks again for your faithful service to Him.
Blessings,
Jodi
Dr. Tackett,
I have just started reading this blog but I am so excited about it! Thank you for sharing everything you have and will continue to share on deltackett.com. Your foundational belief in Creationism and in God’s truth is refreshing and always gives me something to critically think about.
Looking forward to reading!
Take care!
Elisa
“Isn’t it amazing how sometimes the simplest of things in our lives end up becoming so convoluted and complicated?”
Del,
Yes, I find almost everything these days is way too complex. I yearn to return to God’s simple plan for our lives . . . but don’t yet know how to make it happen. (Wish I had time to go back and read all your previous blogs, but that is just not feasible for me.) I have just started on The Truth Project (Tour 1), and look forward to it helping to point the way. I’d like to thank you for what looks to be a very exciting, interesting, educational, and hopefully enjoyable and enlightening journey ahead!
“Much has transpired, but nothing has really changed.”
One of the very few things that I can recall fairly vividly from some 50+ years ago (my early teens/preteen) were some remarkably intense discussions in a Social Studies class about philosophy and the nature of God and Man — and here I am again (Tour 2)! I feel like so much of the intervening years was aimless wandering, but there were at least occassional flashes of meaningfulness. I just wish I could find a way to communicate some of this to our current 13 year-old. Have you thought about a Truth Project for teens?
Thank you again, and God’s blessings to you and your family. John T
Thank you for sharing about your prodigal – it is true that all we can do is love and pray and wait. Like the father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, I continually stand and watch for our son’s coming to the end of himself and moving into the healing arms of our Faithful God Who is able to deliver!
Blessings,
Cari
C’mon Del, do you have to support the male stereotype that we men can’t multi-task? I can drive the whole family all the way to church and not hear the kids say “mom, mom” 30 times! I can watch tv, work out and not hear the kids! (according to my dear wife) See,I can multi-task!
or perhaps should that be 
Good story…thank you!
Del, your tomato soup story had me laughing to tears! Thanks for the humor – which brings back memories of my own tomato sauce mishaps (it seems that tomato sauce has a unique talent for getting into these sorts of stories). Unfortunately, even if you are paying attention – or you’re a woman who can multi-task – things can still get messed up, whether in the kitchen or in other parts of our lives. That’s when it’s good to be reminded of God’s grace and forgiveness – and even His divine sense of humor! God bless, Jenny A. (FFI grad, summer ’02)
Great blog, Dr. Tackett!
I do OK with appliances (generally); however, when there’s repair work to be done around the house, little beads of perspiration form on my wife’s upper lip and she hides my tools.
Throughout our nearly 40 years of marriage she has learned that we’ll probably save a great deal of money and frustration by hiring out most of our repair jobs.
I like to think I’m doing my part to address keeping people fully employed in this great land of ours.
Blessings to you!
Del,wow! Our Father has truly blessed you and all involved in the Truth Project, not to mention the many involved in the study and the many who will hear the truth because of it. I have been a christian for almost 20 years. I have learned more in 7 tours about the God I love than I did in all that time. I thank you with every beautiful fiber of my being. God bless you. God bless this project. I’m ready to share my story now.
“Isn’t it amazing how sometimes the simplest of things in our lives end up becoming so convoluted and complicated?”
Del,
I’ve been thinking how complicated we make things for ourselves but like the advertisement where the green line appears on the sidewalk to guide the person thru their financial decisons, we too have a green line that guides us tru the decisions in our life-God’s Word the Bible. I’m thankful for the Truth Project helping me to see that guiding line more clearly and simply! Thank you-keep up the good work!
Hi Dr. Tackett,
i kind of found myself in the same situation. making God so complicated when he’s very simple. Thanks to this ministry i really do believe that what i believe is really real and have seen God move in miraculous signs and wonders in my life. Know that myself and my lil one will be praying for you and your family! “Take Heart I have overcome the world” Jesus =0)
Sincerely,
Letty
Del,
Just want you to know that each time I checked in and saw your last blog I prayed for you. It’s good to have you back. Sure am glad you survived the tomato soup adventure. It’s also nice to know I’m not the only one who get stuck in a single track to the detriment of other endeavors.
May you have a blessed weekend and an uplifting Lord’s day.
Del,
Thank you for your strength and example of how to trust the Lord to make it through tough times. You are one of the great blessings of my life.
God Bless
John
That was hilarious!!!!! You’re a great writer! Love your positive attitute on a disastrous day! Thanks!
Hello Del, I can tell you that God is faithful to answer our prayers about prodigals. My former prodigal is now serving the Lord & happily married to a Christian wife and they have 5 children. For about 3 years in his early 20′s he was far from God and far from us, his family. “Giving him to God” was the only thing I could do. But, it was the best thing I could do. God, “gave” him back to us:)
Praying for you and your family,
Linda
As I read all these comments, I come to the conclusion that it seems many prodigals are out there testing truth. They have received it from loving parents and now they must put it to the test.Our prayers are all we have now, they don’t want to listen anymore.
After finishing the last tour of the Truth Project, now I will buy your book and study with my husband and absorb these principles that you have so magnificently explained.
We are so blessed to have this teaching, it is outstanding and reveals what a battle this generation has before them. Your work is equipping us like nothing else. Thank You so very much.
Human search parties may quit from fatigue or lack of hope, but not the Good Shepherd…He is unrelentingly out on the mountains, 24/7, seeking His lost ones. I know, because He found me and carried me home.
Praying for you and your family, Del, because “My hope comes from Him.”
Ruth
American Modern Art history in reverse: you started with Andy Warhol and ended with Jackson Pollock.
Thanks! Humor is great therapy
I had a similar story ~ except mine was attempting to make tomato basil soup for the first time, La Madaline’s recipe ~ which was the draw to begin with 
Let me just say, ALWAYS read the directions fully & in context (the same can be said about the word of God)! It began by placing certain ingredients in a pan onto the stovetop ~ to heat for a set amount of time (which I did). You are to let that cool ~ that’s c-o-o-l to the touch (now I know) before placing it in a blender to puree after adding basil. UUUMMM HUMMMM We live in a very old house with high ceilings & the minute I hit the power switch (holding my hand on the lid with it cracked ever so slightly . . . . you guess it, it shot up & out in every possible direction (due to the heat that still existed) and if I could see that far, I’m sure parts made it to the ceiling!!! Now I know I’m dating myself here but, . . . I began looking for the candid camera ~ the old TV show years ago :O I was however, thankful that I did choose to have my face close, which could have caused burns and possible blindness! I did manage to laugh @ myself and still to this day when I think of it & many other things I’ve done since. Laughter is great medicine!!! My lesson was: to slow down and take the time needed, don’t rush through ~ it will be so much better & enjoyable 
Signed ~ Still learning . . .
“Del, I read your blog and thanked God for laughter- loved your soup story…”
The teen in me wants to say: “dito”
The adult in me wants to say” “likewise”
And the impress the professor in me wants to say:
I assent indubitably the comment posted earlier. or-
My alignment of likeness with this comment is quite far on the likeness scale.
or some other silly nonsense that I can not come up with since I am not in college, thank goodness!… I’m only 16.