sixth sunday in lent (day thirty-five?)

I know. I missed day thirty-four. But I've been busy...

I preached today, so I spent all week (when I wasn't sick and feeling like crap) preparing a Palm Sunday sermon on Jesus on the donkey entering Jerusalem and the Rider on the white horse from Revelation. Plus Suzy was in a wedding this weekend in Columbia, and we didn't get back in until the wee hours of this morning.

We stayed with our friends Ryan and Amy, who watched our sweet baby boy while we did wedding stuff. Saturday morning I got up early so I could pick up breakfast for the whole crew. I was planning on getting chicken biscuits from Chick-Fil-A...

...but then I saw this:

It's red, and red means "Stop (and get some doughnuts)."

And like a moth to a flame...

I got my chicken biscuits down the road and pulled a U-ey. I whipped the car into the Krispy Kreme lot and got my dozen hot original glazed doughnuts.

Now I don't know what happened between the Krispy Kreme place and Ryan and Amy's house, but somehow we only ended up with eleven doughnuts in our dozen by the time I walked in the door.

Fifth Amendment rights...

I think I blacked out at some point along the way, but I'm pretty sure a cell of terrorist raccoons were plotting an attack to strike fear into the hearts of doughnut enthusiasts everywhere, and my car was the target. Those heartless bastards stole one of my perfectly warm, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth treats.

At least, that sounds like the most plausible explanation that I can think of...

But the four biscuits and eleven doughnuts that did make it to the house were our culinary care for the day. We sat in Amy and Ryan's living room, eating and laughing and talking, nourished by their friendship much more than the heart-disease-and-diabetes-breakfast-of-champions were consumed.

In fact, they even did a little culinary care of their own: feeding our baby boy while we were at wedding events. I'll leave you with a picture Amy texted us while we were at the rehearsal dinner:

"He just dominated some sweet potatoes!"

here we go...

I’m finally doing it. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a while now, and I’ve given in. I realize that I’m a little late getting on the blogging bandwagon, but what the heck…here we go…

I’m a wannabe foodie, and I enjoy everything from fried chicken to duck confit, from Krispy Kreme donuts to crème brulee.  I am no chef or professional food critic, but I love to eat.

And,

I’m a minister, in the business of “the care of souls.” I work in the church and in the community, trying to realize the kingdom of God, surrounded by theology in practice.

And that’s what I hope this blog will be: theology in practice.

Our faith is put into practice when we gather around a table (and as a life-long Baptist, we take every opportunity to sit down at the table). We connect on a basic human level over food, whether it’s over Grammy’s mac-and-cheese, fried pork belly at The Lazy Goat, or those tasteless wafers and juice on a Sunday morning. Transformation happens when we sit down with others and celebrate one of God’s greatest and most basic gifts—nourishment.

But don’t think that all you’ll find here are lofty ideals and abstract thoughts. My plan is to have two or three entries a week. Some will be reflections on the meaning of special times I’ve had around the table; others will be more like restaurant reviews of amazing (and sometimes not-so-amazing) food I’ve eaten; some may be links to articles or websites that I find along the way; and a good portion will probably just be my random thoughts about food, faith, and fellowship.

So, in the spirit of Martin Luther's idea of "table talk," I hope you'll contribute your thoughts and questions to the conversation around this blog-table. And maybe along the way, it will be nourishing to us all.