Posts
Dear Diners,
They're deceptive, those food labels and health claims at the grocery store and at the Cultural Diner. They're meant to be, for if we really knew what we are putting into ourselves perhaps we would be more cautious. Perhaps.
We have recourse to so much information it just boggles the mind. There are so many options, even with regard to what we do with the information. Try to wade through it all, pick and choose the tidbits we like, or simply ignore the whole lot of it and refuse to think about the consequences of our intake. But do we really have an excuse to remain ignorant today?
It can be amusing, actually, to observe the ways in which we react to the labels. You've seen the folks who Super Size their combo, and then get the Diet Coke. You've seen the folks who chow down on that extra serving or two of fat-free cheesecake, unaware of, disregarding, not caring, or rationalizing away the extra sugar to make it palatable. You've heard the jokes about how the calories have fallen out so it's okay to eat the half dozen broken cookies. Even the new labels about 0g trans fat make us feel so good we don't remark about the extra sodium those chips have.
You may be asking (or may not be), "Bill, what does all this have to do with the Cultural Diner?". Jennifer might hear my voice in her head, with my usual answer, "You just don't know, do you?" (She loves it when I say that!)
Unpacking boxes and boxes of books lately I came across a lot of stuff I didn't know we had, and a lot of stuff I did know we had. (By the way, a book's appearance on my shelf is not necessarily an endorsement. I read some obscure stuff). One such book was When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner. Many of you might have read it, but I'm sure all of you have heard of it.
The book has been through several printings and sold in the millions. The author became a celebrity for awhile, newspapers and magazines have printed excerpts from the book; it has even been endorsed by well-known pastors and seminary professors. The book deals with an ages-old query: How can a good, all-loving, all-powerful God allow such terrible evil and suffering in the world? It's a familiar question, regardless of whether one is thinking of the Holocaust, the slaughter of the Canaanites, or the child who dies in an automible accident. We all draw from our own experience, and feel this question in our gut even if we never voice it out loud.
The Rabbi Kushner answers that God is indeed all-loving, but He is not all-powerful; the bad things which happen are simply out of His control. He writes, "I can worship a God who hates suffering but cannot eliminate it more easily than I can worship a God who chooses to make children suffer and die." I remember hearing that an admiring reader once wrote to thank him, "Maybe now I can believe in a more realistic God."
Well, it sure is nice that the Rabbi Kushner has brought comfort to so many Americans. Hold on a sec...What do we mean by a more realistic God? Who decides if God is realistic?
The God that Kushner writes about is neither omnipotent nor sovereign. Therefore, He is not the God of Abaham, Isaac, and Jacob; not the all-powerful Creator God of the Bible. Yet people have gobbled up this book anyway; Christians have clamored for this impotent God.
I suppose this is not surprising. People yearn for answers to life's mysteries, and when someone comes along with an easy answer that gives comfort and rationalizes the supernatural, we stampede the bookstores. We'll sacrifice truth to our own prejudices every day.
How can we be blind to what is happening? We stand on the shores while waves of secular thinking crash around us and are washing away the foundation on which the church stands. Well-meaning books like this are directly shaping people's perceptions of God. What should our response be? Do we just hit the snooze button and roll over for a few minutes' peace?
The message presented is not new. It represents a theology that has spread like a cancer throughout the church, dismissing the power of God and telling us that the goodness of God is more important. They used to say God is dead; now we see He is not dead, merely ill and feeble.
Certainly, evil messages like this should be expected in a fallen world. What is not expected is for a holy people to accept it. What's worse, the church seems to have lost it's taste for issues like sin and evil. They aren't popular sermon topics--someone might get offended, or convicted. For that matter, neither is gluttony a popular sermon topic, but it is a common sight here at the Diner.
A weary, frustrated, and hungry people are easy marks for those who peddle simple answers to life's tough questions. Those who write the Nutrition Facts on the food we consume at the Cultural Diner know their prey, and it is us. I
If junk pop answers wrapped up in religious packaging are so widely accepted, then Christians aren't doing their job. We should learn to label heresy as heresy.
Appropriately Labelled,
Your Friendly, Neighborhood Apatheist,
~Bill
P.S. Just wondering, anyway--Who are the "good" people?
Monday, November 05, 2007
Under the Neon Rainbow
Fellow Noshers,
It's not easy to be hungry when so much fodder is being set in front of you. Why would we want to be hungry anyway? What is this fodder being set in front of us that is preventing us from experiencing true hunger? It is important to consider these questions, because they offer clues to our dissatisfaction and hope for our fulfillment in life.
The function of our Cultural Diner is to get us to eat. It signals us that something is missing, something we need and can only get in the buffet line. The neon lights flash outside the Diner: "Open! All you can eat!". There's no need to eat alone at the Diner, either. The cooking-challenged among us are the most welcome guests at the Diner, for we are most appreciative of the food, any food.
The function of hunger is to get us to eat. It is the signal of the creature that something is needed for its growth and sustenance. And hunger pangs will increase until we attend to them.
Hunger has an incredible intelligence behind it. It is a driving force in our nature that pushes us to do what is good for us. The hunger of the soul is just as real and just as compelling as the hunger of the body. When something is needed, we feel it. When it is time for a new phase, it begins to happen. We hunger, we stretch toward new boundaries; the seed cracks open, seeking to be the flower it was meant to be.
From this perspective, it is clear why we would want to have true hunger, for it signals to us what we need and insists that we attend to those needs. The problem is that we have a lot of mixed feelings, and some misconceptions, about the soul’s hunger. The signals of change can be uncomfortable and disruptive. It could be that a sense of emptiness, or lack of meaning, arises; or perhaps depression comes. We may find ourselves restless and dissatisfied despite the fact that our lives are pretty good. Interests that once captivated us may no longer hold the same attraction. We may feel distant from people around us.
Our soul tells us what it needs. We just have to pay attention and attune to its dietary preferences. Otherwise, we will tend to give it fodder rather than real nourishment. The word fodder here means all the “food” that we give ourselves, with the best of intentions, that ultimately does not satisfy. The menu at the Cultural Diner doesn't look like fodder. It all looks like Turkish Delight; colorful and tasty but with no nutritional value, and loaded with MSG to keep up appearances no matter how long it's been under the heat lamps. Narnia's witch was right; she knows what captivates us, and holds us captive.
Typically, we feed the soul as if it were our body. Mistakenly, if it needs sweetness, we eat chocolate. If it craves peace, we give it alcohol or TV. If the soul is longing for freedom, we may have an affair or go bungee jumping. In each case, it is an attempt to provide outer solutions to inner needs.
I believe that there is one most pervasive form of fodder in our time. It is so common that it is considered normal, and yet ultimately it does not satisfy our true hunger. This attempt to satiate the soul's appetite, is ceaseless activity. What we really know how to do is stay busy. And, at the slightest hint of some inner restlessness we add more activity. For some people it is longer and longer work weeks. Others move from work to kids, or TV, or clubs and service projects. Even most vacations are merely another form of busyness. Even our children rush madly from school, to lessons, to the big game, and then off to do homework.There is nothing bad or wrong with these activities. The issue is one of balance. For most of us there is little time or value given to simply being, being alone and quiet. And therefore there is insufficient opportunity for real and deep contact, with ourselves, our families, our Creator.. And that is what we are truly hungry for.
Imagine a marriage in which every night were filled - movies, meetings, friends - and that the couple never really talked. In the absence of these moments of true contact, an essential element of the relationship that both people longed for would be missing. It is exactly the same with our primary relationship - the one we have with our innermost selves. As with any intimate relationship, it needs time and attention, with sincere and truthful discourse.
It sounds so simple to just be with ourselves. But this can be hard work. When we finally slow down and block off a little time, we are likely to see that our minds and bodies cannot be still. Or we experience such fatigue that we cannot stay awake. This is so, in part, because we live in a society with a nervous condition so widespread that there is a loss of the capacity to be still. To learn to relax the ceaseless engines of physical and mental activity takes patience and persistence. It is even an acquired taste. However, once we develop the ability to be still, each menu selection will become truly delicious.
Pay no attention to the neon signs. Go home and eat in the dark.
~Bill
It's not easy to be hungry when so much fodder is being set in front of you. Why would we want to be hungry anyway? What is this fodder being set in front of us that is preventing us from experiencing true hunger? It is important to consider these questions, because they offer clues to our dissatisfaction and hope for our fulfillment in life.
The function of our Cultural Diner is to get us to eat. It signals us that something is missing, something we need and can only get in the buffet line. The neon lights flash outside the Diner: "Open! All you can eat!". There's no need to eat alone at the Diner, either. The cooking-challenged among us are the most welcome guests at the Diner, for we are most appreciative of the food, any food.
The function of hunger is to get us to eat. It is the signal of the creature that something is needed for its growth and sustenance. And hunger pangs will increase until we attend to them.
Hunger has an incredible intelligence behind it. It is a driving force in our nature that pushes us to do what is good for us. The hunger of the soul is just as real and just as compelling as the hunger of the body. When something is needed, we feel it. When it is time for a new phase, it begins to happen. We hunger, we stretch toward new boundaries; the seed cracks open, seeking to be the flower it was meant to be.
From this perspective, it is clear why we would want to have true hunger, for it signals to us what we need and insists that we attend to those needs. The problem is that we have a lot of mixed feelings, and some misconceptions, about the soul’s hunger. The signals of change can be uncomfortable and disruptive. It could be that a sense of emptiness, or lack of meaning, arises; or perhaps depression comes. We may find ourselves restless and dissatisfied despite the fact that our lives are pretty good. Interests that once captivated us may no longer hold the same attraction. We may feel distant from people around us.
Our soul tells us what it needs. We just have to pay attention and attune to its dietary preferences. Otherwise, we will tend to give it fodder rather than real nourishment. The word fodder here means all the “food” that we give ourselves, with the best of intentions, that ultimately does not satisfy. The menu at the Cultural Diner doesn't look like fodder. It all looks like Turkish Delight; colorful and tasty but with no nutritional value, and loaded with MSG to keep up appearances no matter how long it's been under the heat lamps. Narnia's witch was right; she knows what captivates us, and holds us captive.
Typically, we feed the soul as if it were our body. Mistakenly, if it needs sweetness, we eat chocolate. If it craves peace, we give it alcohol or TV. If the soul is longing for freedom, we may have an affair or go bungee jumping. In each case, it is an attempt to provide outer solutions to inner needs.
I believe that there is one most pervasive form of fodder in our time. It is so common that it is considered normal, and yet ultimately it does not satisfy our true hunger. This attempt to satiate the soul's appetite, is ceaseless activity. What we really know how to do is stay busy. And, at the slightest hint of some inner restlessness we add more activity. For some people it is longer and longer work weeks. Others move from work to kids, or TV, or clubs and service projects. Even most vacations are merely another form of busyness. Even our children rush madly from school, to lessons, to the big game, and then off to do homework.There is nothing bad or wrong with these activities. The issue is one of balance. For most of us there is little time or value given to simply being, being alone and quiet. And therefore there is insufficient opportunity for real and deep contact, with ourselves, our families, our Creator.. And that is what we are truly hungry for.
Imagine a marriage in which every night were filled - movies, meetings, friends - and that the couple never really talked. In the absence of these moments of true contact, an essential element of the relationship that both people longed for would be missing. It is exactly the same with our primary relationship - the one we have with our innermost selves. As with any intimate relationship, it needs time and attention, with sincere and truthful discourse.
It sounds so simple to just be with ourselves. But this can be hard work. When we finally slow down and block off a little time, we are likely to see that our minds and bodies cannot be still. Or we experience such fatigue that we cannot stay awake. This is so, in part, because we live in a society with a nervous condition so widespread that there is a loss of the capacity to be still. To learn to relax the ceaseless engines of physical and mental activity takes patience and persistence. It is even an acquired taste. However, once we develop the ability to be still, each menu selection will become truly delicious.
Pay no attention to the neon signs. Go home and eat in the dark.
~Bill
The Real World
Disclaimer: The comments and opinions expressed in this message do not necessarily reflect the comments, opinions, or practices, of the message's management, owners, or staff.
The following message has been closed-captioned for the thinking-impaired.
You know what I think the problem is with pornography? It doesn't go far enough.
Madison Avenue and the porn industry have created a fantasy world, with unlimited takes, staged photo sessions with make-up breaks, and computerized editing to cover the flaws. They are slick, no doubt, but we should see right through them.
Like stage sets and building fronts, their pre-packaged titillations can make your own hometown seem third-world, and your own relationship seem drab by comparison. What place or what person can compete on a daily basis with the phony show? The answer is that no one can.
Their sets are incomplete, as are the images they project. They want us to believe they have the total package. The problem, though, is the version of sexuality they present is concerned only with the physical activities of lust. It has been stripped of it's biblical perspective as far more than coitus. It is incomplete.
They have created a fantasy world, alright. We should recognize this, because in our real world sex is a mixture of tenderness and toughness, love and fatigue, excitement and disappointment. When we seek to believe the fantasy world, we can begin to cast a searing glance at the flaws in our real world.
Make-believe is fun for awhile, but our real world is beautiful forever.
I love you, Jennifer. You are my whole world.
~Bill
The following message has been closed-captioned for the thinking-impaired.
You know what I think the problem is with pornography? It doesn't go far enough.
Madison Avenue and the porn industry have created a fantasy world, with unlimited takes, staged photo sessions with make-up breaks, and computerized editing to cover the flaws. They are slick, no doubt, but we should see right through them.
Like stage sets and building fronts, their pre-packaged titillations can make your own hometown seem third-world, and your own relationship seem drab by comparison. What place or what person can compete on a daily basis with the phony show? The answer is that no one can.
Their sets are incomplete, as are the images they project. They want us to believe they have the total package. The problem, though, is the version of sexuality they present is concerned only with the physical activities of lust. It has been stripped of it's biblical perspective as far more than coitus. It is incomplete.
They have created a fantasy world, alright. We should recognize this, because in our real world sex is a mixture of tenderness and toughness, love and fatigue, excitement and disappointment. When we seek to believe the fantasy world, we can begin to cast a searing glance at the flaws in our real world.
Make-believe is fun for awhile, but our real world is beautiful forever.
I love you, Jennifer. You are my whole world.
~Bill
The Atkins' Family...Diet
Da, da, da, dum...snap! snap!
Da, da, da, dum...snap! snap!
They're creepy and they're kooky.
They're off to get an ooky.
The Atkins' Family.
Have you seen anyone do this? You're in a burger place, and a person nearby orders a hamburger..sans bun! What is going through their mind? I mean sure, we all have different tastes, but a hamburger is a hamburger, and it has a bun! It's just not the same without it.
You know the routine. The Atkins' diet is the king of the low-carb craze. Dr. Atkins has convinced millions that carbs are taboo, that high-protein and high-fat diets are what we need to be healthy, slim, and happy. (An aside: How does that differ from the beer commercials? Oh well, another day...).
However, ask any nutritionist what the real deal is with these low-carb diets, and they will tell you: We need carbohydrates. We can't live without them. Not only that, but our intake of carbs should be the bulk of our caloric intake. A healthy diet is simply incomplete without them. We can choose to follow these diets, and even look and feel good for awhile doing so. In the long run, we are just risking our health for a short-term gain.
Americans, though, like to have choices, lots of them. They also like to believe just about any new fad that comes down the pike will make them healthy, wealthy, and wise, easily. Our Cultural Diner has evolved that way, so it is always pushing for us to eat more, faster; and the menu is constantly changing.
So what is my point? Well, I'm not trying to knock anyone's eating habits. One look at my daily fare would convince you of that! Also, most nutritionists would frown upon the prolonged fasts I occasionally take. They're tough on a body, too, the way other extreme diets are.
What I am getting around to saying is that, Dan Quayle was right! Potatoe is spelled that way!
I'm going to go out on a limb here. Now, it's a pretty strong limb; but some folks might disagree with me. We need first to understand how the world’s greatest social evils are rooted in “the chosen absence of the biological father,” whether physical or emotional in nature. This reality of broken aspirations and torn families permeates the entire spectrum of human life and history. If we listen to the children of divorce, we can trace most pain back to what is, or is at least perceived to be, such a chosen absence.
Ironically, the problem is originally seen in a story several thousand years old, and it describes both the social instability we see in America today and helps illuminate the struggle of the "War on Terrorism". Historically, the pain of just such a chosen absence most deeply affects the Arab and Muslim soul. Most of us know the story, but how many of us want to acknowledge the implications of it in our personal lives and in the world around us?
Abraham is the father to both the Arabs and the Jews; his son Ishmael is the father of the Arabs, his son Isaac is the father of the Jews, and Christians are spiritual descendants of Jewish history. The nature of the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac is thus defined forever.
In Genesis 16, Abraham’s wife Sarah sought to address her barrenness by suggesting that Abraham sleep with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Her intent was to “build a family through her,” which is to say, the first recorded surrogate motherhood. Sarah was not even giving Hagar the status of a concubine, who at least could raise her own child. Sarah planned to take the child from Hagar at birth and claim him for her own.
Abraham agreed to the idea, and when Hagar knew she was pregnant, and understood Sarah’s designs, she despised her. Sarah despised Hagar in return, blamed the matter on Abraham, and began to mistreat Hagar. This led to conflict when Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah thirteen years later. Ishmael was biologically the firstborn and resented the fact that Isaac was to be honored legally as the firstborn.
Now Abraham wanted to be a present father to his son Ishmael. But Sarah prevented him, and in order to keep his marriage intact, Abraham could not publicly embrace Ishmael. His relational absence from Ishmael’s life was not his desired choice, but it was the fruit of a choice he foolishly made. It was a chosen, yet not chosen, absence—with devastating effects on Ishmael and world history. The war between the women has produced a war between the sons, a war between the Arabs and Jews and, hence, a war between the nations.
From Ishmael’s perspective as a young boy, he grew up not knowing why his father Abraham was relationally absent in his life. There was his father, the patriarch of a large community, wealthy and with a status near to that of a king. Abraham was powerful, therefore his absence must be chosen, so the little boy would grow to reason. All that young Ishmael desired was the honor of being known and treated as his father’s son. But the choices made prevented it.
Thus, Ishmael grew up burdened in shame, written into his soul and his life from before his birth. Shame wounds most severely when it is through no fault of our own and we feel personally rejected by someone of great importance to us. As the Arab peoples have descended from Ishmael (directly by bloodline and/or more indirectly in cultural terms), their psyche has been shaped by the burden of shame. This reality of the shame-conflict in the Arab soul is clear to this day.
Dan Quayle was right. When families fall, societies fall. Fathers must be present. Fathers must make the right, responsible choices. We can know longer expect to enjoy our hamburger without the bun. It is incomplete, and unhealthy.
I am the broken product of poor family dietary choices. It hurts. In spite of that hurt, I took on the eating habits of my immediate family and my culture. I, too, have made those wrong culinary decisions. I and my family have suffered through the emotional heartburn and psychological indigestion for many years.
I ate too much! I ate too fast! How do you spell relief?
Gastronomically yours,
~Bill
The consequences of Ishmael’s shame are summed up in Genesis 16:12:
“He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Da, da, da, dum...snap! snap!
They're creepy and they're kooky.
They're off to get an ooky.
The Atkins' Family.
Have you seen anyone do this? You're in a burger place, and a person nearby orders a hamburger..sans bun! What is going through their mind? I mean sure, we all have different tastes, but a hamburger is a hamburger, and it has a bun! It's just not the same without it.
You know the routine. The Atkins' diet is the king of the low-carb craze. Dr. Atkins has convinced millions that carbs are taboo, that high-protein and high-fat diets are what we need to be healthy, slim, and happy. (An aside: How does that differ from the beer commercials? Oh well, another day...).
However, ask any nutritionist what the real deal is with these low-carb diets, and they will tell you: We need carbohydrates. We can't live without them. Not only that, but our intake of carbs should be the bulk of our caloric intake. A healthy diet is simply incomplete without them. We can choose to follow these diets, and even look and feel good for awhile doing so. In the long run, we are just risking our health for a short-term gain.
Americans, though, like to have choices, lots of them. They also like to believe just about any new fad that comes down the pike will make them healthy, wealthy, and wise, easily. Our Cultural Diner has evolved that way, so it is always pushing for us to eat more, faster; and the menu is constantly changing.
So what is my point? Well, I'm not trying to knock anyone's eating habits. One look at my daily fare would convince you of that! Also, most nutritionists would frown upon the prolonged fasts I occasionally take. They're tough on a body, too, the way other extreme diets are.
What I am getting around to saying is that, Dan Quayle was right! Potatoe is spelled that way!
I'm going to go out on a limb here. Now, it's a pretty strong limb; but some folks might disagree with me. We need first to understand how the world’s greatest social evils are rooted in “the chosen absence of the biological father,” whether physical or emotional in nature. This reality of broken aspirations and torn families permeates the entire spectrum of human life and history. If we listen to the children of divorce, we can trace most pain back to what is, or is at least perceived to be, such a chosen absence.
Ironically, the problem is originally seen in a story several thousand years old, and it describes both the social instability we see in America today and helps illuminate the struggle of the "War on Terrorism". Historically, the pain of just such a chosen absence most deeply affects the Arab and Muslim soul. Most of us know the story, but how many of us want to acknowledge the implications of it in our personal lives and in the world around us?
Abraham is the father to both the Arabs and the Jews; his son Ishmael is the father of the Arabs, his son Isaac is the father of the Jews, and Christians are spiritual descendants of Jewish history. The nature of the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac is thus defined forever.
In Genesis 16, Abraham’s wife Sarah sought to address her barrenness by suggesting that Abraham sleep with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Her intent was to “build a family through her,” which is to say, the first recorded surrogate motherhood. Sarah was not even giving Hagar the status of a concubine, who at least could raise her own child. Sarah planned to take the child from Hagar at birth and claim him for her own.
Abraham agreed to the idea, and when Hagar knew she was pregnant, and understood Sarah’s designs, she despised her. Sarah despised Hagar in return, blamed the matter on Abraham, and began to mistreat Hagar. This led to conflict when Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah thirteen years later. Ishmael was biologically the firstborn and resented the fact that Isaac was to be honored legally as the firstborn.
Now Abraham wanted to be a present father to his son Ishmael. But Sarah prevented him, and in order to keep his marriage intact, Abraham could not publicly embrace Ishmael. His relational absence from Ishmael’s life was not his desired choice, but it was the fruit of a choice he foolishly made. It was a chosen, yet not chosen, absence—with devastating effects on Ishmael and world history. The war between the women has produced a war between the sons, a war between the Arabs and Jews and, hence, a war between the nations.
From Ishmael’s perspective as a young boy, he grew up not knowing why his father Abraham was relationally absent in his life. There was his father, the patriarch of a large community, wealthy and with a status near to that of a king. Abraham was powerful, therefore his absence must be chosen, so the little boy would grow to reason. All that young Ishmael desired was the honor of being known and treated as his father’s son. But the choices made prevented it.
Thus, Ishmael grew up burdened in shame, written into his soul and his life from before his birth. Shame wounds most severely when it is through no fault of our own and we feel personally rejected by someone of great importance to us. As the Arab peoples have descended from Ishmael (directly by bloodline and/or more indirectly in cultural terms), their psyche has been shaped by the burden of shame. This reality of the shame-conflict in the Arab soul is clear to this day.
Dan Quayle was right. When families fall, societies fall. Fathers must be present. Fathers must make the right, responsible choices. We can know longer expect to enjoy our hamburger without the bun. It is incomplete, and unhealthy.
I am the broken product of poor family dietary choices. It hurts. In spite of that hurt, I took on the eating habits of my immediate family and my culture. I, too, have made those wrong culinary decisions. I and my family have suffered through the emotional heartburn and psychological indigestion for many years.
I ate too much! I ate too fast! How do you spell relief?
Gastronomically yours,
~Bill
The consequences of Ishmael’s shame are summed up in Genesis 16:12:
“He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Speaking of Food...Give us this day our daily bread...
Dear Diners,
This was new to me, but many of you have probably heard of it already.
It's called a Beggar's Bowl. From what I understand some Buddhist nuns and monks use begging bowls to get their daily food. Those who put food into the bowl do so because they believe they will be blessed. The monks and nuns receive the food with trust that it will sustain them and not harm them. For all concerned it is a religious experience.
I wonder how effective that would be here in America? I'm not so sure a Buddhist nun in Lexington would be able to rely on a begging bowl. I'm not so sure I would even do well enough to try it.
One thing I do know--there are those, even in Lexington, who each day are dependent on their beggar's bowl. We pass them in the street each day. Usually, they will stop us and ask us for some change. Occasionally, they don't get the chance, for we have stepped across the street in order to avoid them. "Just for fun we yell, get a job!"
Will you fill my beggar's bowl? What if you didn't know me?
Embarassingly apatheistic,
~Bill
This was new to me, but many of you have probably heard of it already.
It's called a Beggar's Bowl. From what I understand some Buddhist nuns and monks use begging bowls to get their daily food. Those who put food into the bowl do so because they believe they will be blessed. The monks and nuns receive the food with trust that it will sustain them and not harm them. For all concerned it is a religious experience.
I wonder how effective that would be here in America? I'm not so sure a Buddhist nun in Lexington would be able to rely on a begging bowl. I'm not so sure I would even do well enough to try it.
One thing I do know--there are those, even in Lexington, who each day are dependent on their beggar's bowl. We pass them in the street each day. Usually, they will stop us and ask us for some change. Occasionally, they don't get the chance, for we have stepped across the street in order to avoid them. "Just for fun we yell, get a job!"
Will you fill my beggar's bowl? What if you didn't know me?
Embarassingly apatheistic,
~Bill
Feed me, Seymour.
Dear diners,
I don't know if any of you remember the place. Maybe you have passed by it. Maybe there is one like it in your hometown. In Lexington, though, it is Mom's Loudon Lunch. Mom's is a tiny place, at the corner of Loudon Avenue and Limestone Street. Mom is Betty Franklin. The place really is a family affair; two daughters-in-law and her son have worked for Mom at one time or another, but everyone is treated like family. From the minute you walk in the place, you feel like you're at home (including the good-natured ribbing between you and your crazy Uncle Bob). Betty greets you with a "Hey hon', you hungry?", and you will have sufficiently dined by the time you leave.
There are times, though, when people need to be fed by another cook. Where can one go for such nourishment? Many of us talk about coming to church, participating in worship, or going to Sunday school; and we say it "feeds our soul". Have we thought about, or have we neglected to serve, those who are hungry for the soul food we receive each week? Do we smell the rich aromas of the dishes we hold in our arms, and do we know what it would mean to the people who need it?
If the citizens of the world were well-fed, physically and spiritually, maybe we would have fewer wars, less mayhem and violence. But the world is a big place, and a waiter can be overwhelmed. The server with too many tables can become frustrated, burn out, and serve no one well. But can we really afford to say,"Sorry, hon', that's not my table?" Though it may seem like every one in the world is waving their empty coffee cup, somehow we have to try and fill them.
A hungry soul that has to wait too long, or has a surly waitress, might soon: starve; or they could just go somewhere else to eat. Unfortunately, folks with bad experiences tell far more people than those who have had good experiences. Our reputation, however, is not what we should worry about most. A hungry soul will go somewhere, anywhere, until they are satisfied, seeking some experience that will complete them. They will get what they are looking for, even if it is not the food they are truly craving. Some don't even know what it is they really want, and may subsist on a steady diet of junk food.
The world is ready to serve them a smorgasbord; spiritual fast-food is just around the corner. A hungry soul will sample that spiritual smorgasbord, digesting each nibble and bite until it finds the tastes it is seeking. A little bit of Oprah, a dash of yoga, a smattering of Hinduism, Paganism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, a dash of salt and a pinch of sage. Mix well and simmer in a cast iron cauldron. Some hungry soul will find the combination delicious. Hungry souls are adventuresome eaters, and willing to try new things. But if the taste doesn't suit them, they don't always finish everything on their plate before savoring dessert.
Some may mistake spiritual hunger for a physical need. They may satisfy their appetite with the erotic pleasures of sensual living. It is no surprise to find some of the most desparate souls, and thus the most profitable mission fields, at your local 12-step meeting; the addiction du jour fills but doesn't satiate, and is an easy destination for those with spiritual eating disorders.
Maybe you have had this experience. I was craving chocolate ice cream. Only there wasn't any on hand. Sure, Kroger is open 24/7, but I didn't want to go out. It was the middle of the night. There was some strawberry yogurt; I like strawberry yogurt, but it isn't chocolate ice cream. It is cold and creamy, but it isn't chocolate ice cream. I ate it anyway; the whole thing. The funny thing is, and you can guess this, it just fails to satisfy. I wasn't hungry for just anything that was cold and sweet and creamy. I wanted chocolate ice cream! So why did I do it? I wasn't starving, or in desparate physical need of any food available. So why did I do it? Because it was there. Because it was there.
What would you do if, next time we serve communion, you heard the growling stomach of the person next to you and they leaned over and asked,"Hey, can I have some of yours? I'm hungry." They're in the right place to be hungry. They're usually not so fothright and obvious. We have to look and listen closely.
Is that your table?
~Bill
I don't know if any of you remember the place. Maybe you have passed by it. Maybe there is one like it in your hometown. In Lexington, though, it is Mom's Loudon Lunch. Mom's is a tiny place, at the corner of Loudon Avenue and Limestone Street. Mom is Betty Franklin. The place really is a family affair; two daughters-in-law and her son have worked for Mom at one time or another, but everyone is treated like family. From the minute you walk in the place, you feel like you're at home (including the good-natured ribbing between you and your crazy Uncle Bob). Betty greets you with a "Hey hon', you hungry?", and you will have sufficiently dined by the time you leave.
There are times, though, when people need to be fed by another cook. Where can one go for such nourishment? Many of us talk about coming to church, participating in worship, or going to Sunday school; and we say it "feeds our soul". Have we thought about, or have we neglected to serve, those who are hungry for the soul food we receive each week? Do we smell the rich aromas of the dishes we hold in our arms, and do we know what it would mean to the people who need it?
If the citizens of the world were well-fed, physically and spiritually, maybe we would have fewer wars, less mayhem and violence. But the world is a big place, and a waiter can be overwhelmed. The server with too many tables can become frustrated, burn out, and serve no one well. But can we really afford to say,"Sorry, hon', that's not my table?" Though it may seem like every one in the world is waving their empty coffee cup, somehow we have to try and fill them.
A hungry soul that has to wait too long, or has a surly waitress, might soon: starve; or they could just go somewhere else to eat. Unfortunately, folks with bad experiences tell far more people than those who have had good experiences. Our reputation, however, is not what we should worry about most. A hungry soul will go somewhere, anywhere, until they are satisfied, seeking some experience that will complete them. They will get what they are looking for, even if it is not the food they are truly craving. Some don't even know what it is they really want, and may subsist on a steady diet of junk food.
The world is ready to serve them a smorgasbord; spiritual fast-food is just around the corner. A hungry soul will sample that spiritual smorgasbord, digesting each nibble and bite until it finds the tastes it is seeking. A little bit of Oprah, a dash of yoga, a smattering of Hinduism, Paganism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, a dash of salt and a pinch of sage. Mix well and simmer in a cast iron cauldron. Some hungry soul will find the combination delicious. Hungry souls are adventuresome eaters, and willing to try new things. But if the taste doesn't suit them, they don't always finish everything on their plate before savoring dessert.
Some may mistake spiritual hunger for a physical need. They may satisfy their appetite with the erotic pleasures of sensual living. It is no surprise to find some of the most desparate souls, and thus the most profitable mission fields, at your local 12-step meeting; the addiction du jour fills but doesn't satiate, and is an easy destination for those with spiritual eating disorders.
Maybe you have had this experience. I was craving chocolate ice cream. Only there wasn't any on hand. Sure, Kroger is open 24/7, but I didn't want to go out. It was the middle of the night. There was some strawberry yogurt; I like strawberry yogurt, but it isn't chocolate ice cream. It is cold and creamy, but it isn't chocolate ice cream. I ate it anyway; the whole thing. The funny thing is, and you can guess this, it just fails to satisfy. I wasn't hungry for just anything that was cold and sweet and creamy. I wanted chocolate ice cream! So why did I do it? I wasn't starving, or in desparate physical need of any food available. So why did I do it? Because it was there. Because it was there.
What would you do if, next time we serve communion, you heard the growling stomach of the person next to you and they leaned over and asked,"Hey, can I have some of yours? I'm hungry." They're in the right place to be hungry. They're usually not so fothright and obvious. We have to look and listen closely.
Is that your table?
~Bill
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