day twenty: the gift (cards) of giving

We've made it halfway. Day twenty of forty.

This culinary care has been tiring. It takes a lot of planning, time, and energy to try to make this whole experiment work. It disrupts our usual schedule, puts us in some uncomfortable positions, and makes us do these things we said we'd do even when we don't want to.

Then again, I guess that's the point of the Lenten season: to disrupt, unsettle, and discipline; to shake us out of our regular routines and comfortable lives; to stretch us towards a better life.

In any case, it's been tiring, and we're feeling it. So today was a nice change of pace. We went to a Hardee's near our church, within sight of two missions (the Triune Mercy Center and the Salvation Army shelter) and bought four $5 gift cards, and then drove around to look for people who might need them. We didn't have to go far...

Our first beneficiary was a man in the parking lot talking to an ambulance driver. The man told us that he was trying to get something to eat, and the driver said he wasn't allowed to carry cash but he wanted to help somehow. Problem solved. I handed the man a gift card, and as I walked away, I heard the driver say, "Well I guess somebody's looking out for you today."

The second and third recipients were two guys walking across an adjacent parking lot. We pulled up beside them and rolled down the window. "How are you guys doing? We've got these gift cards to Hardee's...would y'all like a couple of 'em?" They were very thankful, saying "God bless y'all!"

Just a couple of doors down, we saw a gentleman sitting on the steps of an abandoned building, so we drove down there. I got out of the car and introduced myself to "Bones." He had half a dozen loaves of bread, and he said that he was going to "feed the birds, and feed my soul...I got my Bible to read, too." I asked if he had anything for himself, and when he said he didn't, I offered our last gift card.

From start to finish, the whole process only took about 20 minutes. It only cost us $20. It happened within walking distance of our church. It wasn't very relational, but hopefully it met a need. In fact, I'm thinking about starting to carry a few such gifts cards with me all the time.

I don't know if any of the religious/God talk was sincere. I could imagine that I would talk that way to do-gooders, in hopes that they might be willing to offer more. But even if the "God bless yous" and talk of Bible-reading were for show, maybe just saying it can have a positive effect...just like the discipline of Lent, even when we're not totally into it.

day five: new parents

I’m tired. I’ve haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights, staying up too late and getting up too early, and all I want to do right now is lay down. But I'd bet that I’m not nearly as tired as the new parents we got to see tonight.

Matt and Brittney had their baby girl not even two weeks ago. And if I remember correctly, it would be right around this time that they're ready to crash. The midnight feedings, 3 a.m. diaper changes, and hyper-vigilance of parenthood are probably taking their toll. So we signed up on their meal calendar to take them dinner tonight (CareCalendar is another program you can use).

Suzy holding the new little girl

Our baby boy with his future girlfriend

One part of our Lenten experiment is to make sure everything is as homemade as possible.  Whether cookies or cakes or casseroles, we are trying to really think about what people need and then spend the time to make those things.  Instead of dropping by the store last-minute to pick up a random meal (which is our usual way of doing it), we are trying to be intentional about our preparation and action, forcing ourselves to think through how we show our care for others.

Tonight, Suzy made Chicken Diabolo (a recurring star at her family events) along with green beans, cole slaw and rolls. Here's the recipe for the casserole, in case you want to try it:

1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled
1 box Uncle Ben's wild rice
1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened 

Topping:
1/2 C. melted butter
1 C. brown sugar 

Cook rice according to box instructions. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mustard, mushrooms, parsley, soup, and broth. Add chicken and rice. Layer mixture into a 9"x13" baking pan (sprayed with Pam). Mix together topping ingredients, and sprinkle on top of chicken rice mixture. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Between getting the groceries we need for this 40 day adventure, making meals, baking sweets, spending time serving or volunteering, and God knows what else we'll end up doing, we're beginning to realize how busy and tired we will be. But I also know that it will be a good kind of tired: when you know you've done something that matters, that has made a difference, that has meant something to someone...at least, that's my hope.

I've been trying to figure out how to end this post for the last 20 minutes. I wanted to wrap it up with some nice, neat, profound insight. But I'm tired. So...