A Catalyst for Community [and a few adventures]

Over Christmas, I flew down to south Louisiana to spend some time with Cade's family. Everywhere we went, the first question asked was, "What'd you eat so far?" Not "where have you gone? what'd you see?" but, "What meals have you had?" In the short time I was there, it became very apparent that food is a huge part of the culture. When you want to sit down and have a conversation with someone, it's over a plate of food. It's a little different from what I'm used to [coffee/tea and a chat], but it kept bringing me back to scripture and the idea of breaking bread together.

"Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved." -Acts 2:46-47

There's something special about having meals together. Not only are you filled physically, but you connect on an emotional level as well. You're able to laugh together, to share life together, and that does something for your spirit.

I've given myself a goal this year of learning how to cook so that I can become a catalyst for moments like these. I'm blogging that adventure over here, which will be pretty interesting, given that I'm figuring everything out on my own. An example of what to expect? Right before Christmas, I had a recipe that required 4 room temperature eggs. I didn't realize that until I was getting everything together, so I had to think fast, and I ended up sticking the eggs in my pockets while I started the cooking process. Like I said, it'll certainly be an adventure, but it should be fun.

Hope you're all having a great start to the New Year. And, for those of you who are afraid the Mayans might be right about 2012, just remember- if they could really predict the future, there'd still be Mayans ;)