nywc: inspirations from food

On the way home, I had the chance to hang out with my good buddies over Sonic food. This is a big deal, mainly because we don't have Sonic in our geographical area but see all the commercials. (There's something wrong with that, by the way)

Keep in mind, this menu is simple - burgers, chicken, fries, shakes, and the infamous flavored limeades. Yet for some reason it brough us together and we were all able to order off of it.

The day before I struggled with two other of my buddies - Scott and Brian - to find a place to eat. There are those times even with the best of friends when it's hard to scratch a hunger itch... Brian commented rather profoundly, "How in the world does the Trinity do it?"

Great thought there. We did find some good Italian food to sit down and chow down on... which I suppose is a heavenly statement in itself - good Italian food unites everyone.

Funny thing about food - it really can change your mood, and your life. For instance, I came back to the hotel one day and found a mint on my pillow. It's just a mint, but it made me happy to be thought of. I know, I know - everyone in the hotel got one, but I still felt special.

Then on the way out I connected with Matthew McNutt. Maybe you know his story - he was on the show The Biggest Loser and came in second place during one of the first few seasons of the show. As he freely shared, food has been a factor in his life on the positive and negative - and I simply admire the discipline he put into place to be sure from this point forward it was more for the positive.

In a weird way, we sort of depend on food too much in our world. It's nourishment, so we know we need it... but we place a lot of stake into whether or not we can eat what we want, the way we want it, and in the quantity we want to enjoy it in. Sometimes that yields positive consequences, and other times it doesn't - and we're ever the critic when it falls short.

I mean, who doesn't like to eat? And yet food was made for the body - not the body for food.

There are days I see this in other areas in the church or at a conference like this, too - "I liked that speaker" or "That band's style just doesn't do it for me." And for some odd reason our whole attitude gets affected... we fail to exercise contentment in some of the simplest areas. We simply forget to celebrate the opportunity to digest powerful things in practical ways.

So in hindsight, I just want to say how appreciative I've been on this convention experience. There have been some things I've been critical of in my spirit, and so by choice I've decided to celebrate the upside instead. I've chatted with folks about the "right" way to do certain things that are purely a preference... and likewise have celebrated the things that for some reason (I hear it's grace) good things happen.

In your life today, may you choose THANKS and GIVING. And along the way, may you find your life full and satisisfied with a taste of heaven... good to the last drop, with a chunk of real strawberries waiting for you at the bottom.

Oh, and thanks, YS.