A Place at the Table, Feast Day 1

Yesterday was one of my favorite days in a long time.  The way that this Place at the Table fast is laid out is that on Sundays, we are encouraged to feast with friends -- eat, drink, laugh, enjoy.  So I had been looking forward to Sunday all week.  It had been a long time since I had planned out my meals quite so fully.  I was going to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Heart (or 2) at midnight, and then get up early for a bowl of cereal loaded down with milk.  Then, on my way to work, I was going to get a Cinnamon Dolce Latte (that girly coffee again).  Lunch would be large quantities of meat, and dinner would be a feast as well.  There was even a thought that I would squeeze one last meal in before going to bed.

Well, reality was less sexy.  The Resse's happened at midnight (glorious!), but when I woke up, the cereal didn't seem so appealing.  So I did the CDL from Starbucks and went to church.  The conversation at church was awesome.  Several of us chatted about what we had been learning about ourselves and our lives during this fast.  After church, a group of us went to Texas Land and Cattle and waited forever to get a table.  But it didn't matter (at least not to most of us) because the conversation was so life-giving.  I ate red meat for the first time in a while, but it was again the community that was being formed around the table that was the most fulfilling.  As a matter of fact, the burger and sweet potato were a little too much.  I felt a little bloated.

So much so that when our community gathered last night for table fellowship and discussion, I wasn't really hungry.  But I bought a chicken sandwich and a coke and was off to our meeting.  It was again the community that was life-giving.  It was our first gathering since we initially launched this lent fast, so we spent some time discussing what we had learned.  I was blown away that, since our first meeting, three of our families had begun sponsoring Compassion kids.  Our little community of 15-20 people had committed to changing 3 lives and bringing kingdom to earth in a tangible, food-on-the-table sort of way.  We then discussed things like contentment and overindulgence and appreciating simple things.  It was again an absolutely life-giving discussion.

We ended our time with some talk about healing and then we took communion together.  The last thing we did was feast on some cake for one of our group's birthday.  Not sure I've ever enjoyed birthday cake quite that much. I went home from that gathering, chicken sandwich in hand (I hadn't eaten it yet; I was still full from lunch!), very happy to have a community of faith that was trying to be intentional about hope and healing and redemption.

So now I begin the first full week of the fast.  I'm sure there will be days of hunger and anger, frustration and exasperation.  But, if week one was any indication, there will also be days of reflection, healing, community and shalom.  Stay tuned.

A Place at the Table, day 4

I have found that when I have been fasting for a couple of days, my body gets settled and I become almost impervious to the fact that I am doing something different with my diet.  That settling happened on day 4.  It was Saturday, so I had an easy morning and then had responsibilities refereeing a basketball game and then coaching Faith's basketball team (we won, but more on that in a moment).  The afternoon was naps and TV, dinner and baths for my girls.  A relatively serene day on the Lent front.

So I want to just take a moment to write about my experience coaching Faith's Upward basketball team.  This was my first experience as a head coach, so I was very nervous going in.  Despite the fact that I played competitive basketball through college, I had never coached before.  And in case you didn't know it, girls basketball is a little bit different from boys basketball.  But Faith & I had an agreement, so we went with it.

My goal in coaching these eight girls was that they would develop a love for the game and that they would continue playing basketball well beyond this year.  And I wanted basketball to be fun.  About halfway through our 8-game season, I looked up and we were undefeated (with a tie).  That became a bit of our guiding principle from then on.  But I still tried to keep them focused on skill development and a love for basketball.

Our last game was yesterday.  Faith had yet to score this season, and while I was excited about our team's success, I SOOOOOO wanted Faith to score.  At least once.  She came out in the game yesterday very aggressive, getting several steals, a few rebounds, and even a jump ball.  She got off a couple of shots, but nothing fell.  Until.  She got a rebound and arched a shot really high, and it came down right where it needed to -- nothing but net!  I am by nature an "energetic coach" (shocking, I know), but I about jumped out of the gym.  I was so happy for her!  She had worked so hard and kept going despite her inability to score points, and it was rewarded in that last game.  And because I was the coach, I was guaranteed the opportunity to see it.  We did end up undefeated, but that paled in comparison to the joy I saw on Faith's face!

I hate that I'm beginning to sound like somewhat of a broken record in these posts -- I guess that's what happens when your diet looks the same every day -- but it really is the simpler things in life that grant us the greatest joy.  I've had success in life and school and ministry.  But my girls don't care about any of that.  I decided long ago that whatever opportunities I have to be in my daughters' lives, I'm going to embrace them.  That's why, when I get to take Grace & Faith to school in the morning, I park my car and I walk them into their classrooms.  When I take Tinsley to school, I chat with her teachers and give her a kiss before I go.  Especially with my oldest, I'm not sure how many more days it will be before walking down the school hallway holding daddy's hand will be socially unacceptable.  But I'm gonna get the most out of it while I still can.

So, if you're a parent, enjoy every moment with your kids.  Hug them tight.  Kiss them goodnight.  Walk them to class.  Carry them when they ask.  Volunteer at their schools.  Coach their sports teams.  And if you're a grandparent, be in your kids and grandkids lives.  Go to their softball games as often as you can.  Give your kids a break by taking your grandkids for a day.  Bosses will fire you.  Jobs will change.  Stock markets will take your money.  But you'll always have your kids.  And you'll never forget days like yesterday, when the shot hit nothing but net.

A Place at the Table, Day 3

Usually, about day 3 or 4 of a fast, your body acclimates itself to what's going on and the hunger pangs lessen throughout the day.  Sure, when meal times approach, your body lets you know that it's hungry, but the "chronic" ongoing hunger goes away.  That was yesterday for me.  I was hungry at noon and 6:00, but was good the rest of the day, for the most part.

The last Friday of the month is usually a night that Wendy & I spend hanging out with special needs children through a program called Night O.W.L.S.  But, since several of the families that we watch had sick kids, we weren't needed last night.  So Wendy & I went out on a date.  Which is not as exciting as it sounds when you're on a beans/rice/potato/corn/bread diet.  So after a couple of places had wait times that were too long, we settled into Chipotle.  And since it was a date, I decided to splurge/cheat and have their cilantro-lime rice.  Oh, my!  What a treat!  I devoured it with joy and, as I was picking the cilantro out of my teeth, I smiled at how "simple" this pleasure was.  I later got a text from a fellow journeyer whose day was made when he realized he had some left over Jimmy John's bread to enjoy at dinner.  The simple things.

So, maybe the lesson from yesterday is to appreciate the simple things in life.  A child's laughter.  A beautiful sunset.  A home with a roof and heat.  The company of friends.  An independent child who wants to snuggle because she doesn't feel good.  Good music.  An engaging read.  Comfortable shoes.  Fancy dresses.  Hot coffee.  And even cilantro-lime rice and Jimmy John's bread.

So take a moment today to notice the simple things.  Hold that hug for a second longer.  Smell the coffee before you drink it.  Smile more.  Look at your watch less.  Enjoy the life you've been given, and in so doing, in a mysterious sort of way, you will be embracing the life that is to come.