The Ballestero Blog

We Sold Our Name And Our Recipe

My beautiful wife, Marcia and I sat in a famous 100-year-old restaurant tonight. This local icon in Marshall, Michigan is where I officially proposed to my beloved 45 years ago. Once again we looked around the room hoping to walk down ‘sentimental lane’. Everything pretty much looked the same. That brought a sigh of relief to our memories. We smiled as we gazed at the table where we had sat that night in 1965.

I might add that the Win Schuler’s Restaurant we were at received the Gold Plate Award in 1971 from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, the greatest distinction the industry has to offer.

In 1960 the old English inn’s owner was inducted into the American Restaurant Hall of Fame.

Their cheese and hard crackers are served at every table before the drink order is taken. Marcia and I munched and made small talk while we glanced at the menu.

The table beside us held two retired couples. They were complaining among themselves that the cheese spread didn’t taste the same as it did when they had come there years ago.

“That’s true,” the teenage waiter said. “It’s a different recipe.”

“A different recipe?” the old man repeated in disbelief. “Why in the world would you change? Your recipe was wonderful. We came just because of that.”

“We had to change,” the waiter continued. “Sold our recipe to Craft Foods. We also sold our name too. We no longer can use the name ‘Win’ Schuler. If you see that name in the store, it belongs to Craft Foods. We made up a new recipe using different ingredients, and now we only use the name Schuler.

“Personally,” he said, “I’ve never tasted the old cheese spread. I’ve only tasted this one and I happen to like it.”

“Well, I’ve tasted the old, and it was better than this the old guy said as he shook his white hair. Hmm, sold your recipe and your name! Why would you sell a recipe that’s worked for a hundred years? God have mercy!”

That happened today.

Let me tell you what else is happening today.

Some preachers, some churches and some fellowships have sold their name and their recipe hoping to get a crowd. All of this is done in the name of ‘Revival.’

They sold their recipe for worship, for holiness, and for doctrine. They’ve also sold their name, Apostolic Pentecostal. The greatest loss was when they sold the Name of Jesus in Baptism.

A generation is living today that never tasted the old time Apostolic recipe. They have only tasted this new one that is not like the original. Old timers can tell you, that it does not taste the same. It’s not.

History repeats itself.

In the book of Ezra, it was the same problem. Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed and a new one was built in its place. The young people had never seen the 1^st Temple. They rejoiced.

The Elders had seen the 1^st and the 2^nd. They wept because it wasn’t the same anymore.

Ezra 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Ezra 3:13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Whatever road you may walk down, Gentle Reader, purpose in your heart to never sell your Name or your Recipe.