Burnt Pies and Bad Attitudes

One of the internet’s legendary memes is Sharon’s Burnt Marie Callender’s Pie. It originated on November 25, 2021, when Sharon Weiss published a post featuring a crispy-looking pumpkin pie the color of fresh asphalt. Her caption read: “Thanks Marie Calendar [sic][1] for ruining Thanksgiving dessert.” What happened next was the internet at its best.

Various users began a delightful commentary on Weiss’s domestic skills in the form of memes. The pictures ranged from cooking pies with lighter fluid to images of people who had spent too much time in tanning beds. As the post went viral, Sharon had a realization of what actually went wrong. She shared in an interview, “Somehow, some way, the baking temperature had been changed from Fahrenheit to Celsius. . . . The result was that when I set the temperature to 375, it was actually closer to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.”[2] Sharon could have blamed the oven or her family. Instead, she owned her ill-conceived complaint and enjoyed the humor.

From there Sharon reached out to Marie Callender’s and agreed to take the post down. They not only buried the hatchet . . . er . . . pie; but worked out a partnership that involved a sweepstakes. What could have been another online crash-and-burn in terms of people’s rage became a model of personal responsibility and reconciliation.

Cooked With Complaints

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians we get a sense that some people may have been “burned” by others’ attitudes. He writes, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Phil. 2:14-16). While many disputes can erupt in a community, it appears that two prominent women were at odds.

In Philippians 4 Paul writes, “I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life” (verses 2, 3). We can speculate on why these two women were fighting, but the point is that the division had gotten large enough that there may have been factions in the church. Paul writes from jail that his brothers and sisters had left the work to fight amongst themselves. Instead of serving alongside each other for Christ, they were cooking each other with complaints.

Conflict in church isn’t intrinsically bad; it can be evidence of healthy thought. But when the focus shifts from Jesus onto the person you support, it becomes an issue.

Paul’s brothers and sisters had left the work to fight among themselves. Instead of serving alongside each other for Christ, they were cooking each other with complaints.

A long time ago I served in a church with a long-standing rift between two key families. When one found out I was going to have Sabbath lunch at the other’s house, they approached me about it. Looking for reassurance, they said, “You just have to go to their house because you’re the pastor, right?” They literally couldn’t conceive why another human being would bother to spend time with these “other” people.

Advice for Complainers

All of us complain, and sometimes with good reason. Each of us has stories of interpersonal conflicts or being wronged by a business that provided poor customer service. Sometimes our complaints are necessary to help people improve. Yet when these moments of discomfort become patterns of life, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

Paul calls for people to be “of one mind.” This is a call to refocus. During conflict it is easy to lose sight of the issue and turn to personal attack and pride. As soon as conflict becomes about defending one’s honor, character, or integrity, it tends to escalate. Sometimes we need to step back and remember that the person we may be complaining about has the same general goals as we do, and isn’t our enemy. Resist the urge to make it personal, and stick to the issue.

In Paul’s letter he indicates the recipient as being a mediator between the women in Philippi. This call echoes Jesus’ words for us to be “peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). When a conflict turns personal, we need to recognize that there are such people as teachers, elders, pastors, and counselors who can help us mediate our relationship issues. In other words, it’s OK to call for help when we can’t seem to heal broken connections.

Finally, going back to Paul’s words in Philippians 2, remember to “hold fast the word of life” (see verse 16). This is a reminder of the gospel that goes to everyone, not just people we have an easy time getting along with. Reminding ourselves of our mission can help us see others through Jesus’ eyes, rather than our own. This verse also reminds us that words of life, instead of criticism, are far more helpful in moving toward our goals.

Conclusion

My guess is you have someone in your life right now who tests your patience. You may even find yourself in some sort of competition with another person, maybe even a former friend, vying for a “piece of the pie” in terms of success. The letter to the Philippians reminds us that complaints and criticism hinder our work. Instead, we need to treat each other respectfully, even asking others to help us reconcile, when our work gets intense.

So where do you need to take responsibility and reach out? Who might be able to help you mediate your conflicts? Taking a lesson from Sharon Weiss and Marie Callender, when we can own our part of conflicts and sincerely reach out to the other person to reconcile, we make life much sweeter than we would by complaining for everyone to see.

[1] Marie Callender’s is a U.S. restaurant chain as well as a frozen meals company.

[2] Gael Cooper, Burnt Marie Callender’s Pie Became a Thanksgiving Meme: Here’s What Really Happened, Nov 27, 2024, CNET, accessed Sept. 29, 2025, https://www.cnet.com/culture/internet/torched-marie-callenders-pie-became-a-meme-but-heres-what-really-happened.