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40 Days without Cheese pt - 3

A few ironies I noticed during my 40 days without cheese.

During Lent, while I was abstaining from cheese, I saw a friend's Facebook status say how convicted he was that he got frustrated by the lack of room in his fridge for his groceries. I paused at the utter honesty in that short phrase and how privileged it is for me (and most people I know) to choose to refrain from eating something. So many people don't have that choice.

Fight Hunger: http://hungergames.wfp.org/

The youth group I volunteer with went to see the Hunger Games in opening weekend and I didn't get a chance to eat before getting to the theater. I saw Hunger Games while eating popcorn, in a theater full of others eating and drinking concessions. While reading the book, I remembered how detailed the author described the decadent food and the gluttonous attitude of the people in the Capitol. The contrast of colors and availability of resources among the districts in the movie was striking, and for good reason. Her book is a commentary on our culture and I was "feeding" right into it through my behavior. I was ashamed to identify with the people in the Capitol.

"The Biggest Loser" series has become a worldwide hit airing in over 90 countries and produced in 25 countries. It normally comes on just before Parenthood (my favorite TV show) so sometimes I catch the tail end of an episode. I avoid watching this show because, like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, it never fails to make me weep with empathy and compassion. That can be exhausting and it's already difficult to stay up watching Parenthood :) #gettingolder. Anyway, back to the irony - the Biggest Loser comes on TV on Tuesdays. Thursdays around the same time Ardmore Methodist opens its doors, just around the corner from me, offering food and clothing to people who need it. Pause for a moment and consider the PSA below. (P.S. I chose Taye Diggs on purpose ;))

We have got to shine a light on this disconnect between having shows like the Biggest Loser run on prime-time and the family that lives in your neighborhood who hopes you don't see them when they go to the food pantry on Thursday night. I don't have all the solutions and will continue to mull this over and share on this blog. I want to end with 2 things - a powerful message about Famine from the ONE campaign (which is doing GREAT things) and a parable from Jesus that (for me) is a call to action.

The Sheep and the Goats - Matthew 25: 31-46 (msg)
"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'
Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help? He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me. Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

40 days without cheese- pt 2

Do you remember the movie Chocolat? It came out in 2000 with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. It's a romantic comedy, but when I think of Lent and fighting temptation I can't help but picture the scene below. I include it here for a couple reasons. 

1. This scene is when Mr. Judgy-McJudgerson (my nickname for him) can't withstand the temptations of the flesh and ends up being the very thing he was judging. He is a picture of where legalism gets you. Lent, in my opinion (not a theologian, btw) is a time of reflection the sacrifice Jesus made for us. He didn't give in or give up when faced with the cross. He didn't start pointing fingers at those who deserved to be crucified. How grateful I am that he fought through his prayer in the garden and died for us all. 
2.  My 40 days without cheese didn't look quite like this scenario, however I realized how common cheese is in the foods I eat and how tied to my culture that is. For example, eating out is a common occurrence in my friend group. Chances are, if we aren't going to an Asian restaurant, there's a lot of cheese on the menu to choose from. Because of the cultural norms that exist around me, I had to raise my awareness of cheese, and intentionally not choose it. The culture in Chocolat was normed on Alfred Molina's character and his preferences. They weren't questioned until someone intentionally chose differently. I think the same could be said about hunger. Statistics are powerful, but they don't change lives. We have to intentionally choose to act outside our established norms - give more away, speak out against injustices, join with causes we care about, and make ways to love and reach out to those who need us.

The very end of this clip shows Binoche's character extending grace through a glass of milk. Jesus did it through a cross, and we can do it everyday in some form. Just last week, UNCG held it's annual Empty Bowls sale and I won a raffled bowl. It's a beautiful symbol of extending grace in actions, not just words. Let us continue pursuing ways of intentionally choosing to push back on the things that don't lead to life, grace and more of God's glory in our world. 

It's not too late to participate in an Empty Bowls project in Winston Salem - April 25 it is being held at the Millennium Center. If you can go, I highly encourage you to do so.

40 days without cheese - pt 1

Growing up in a Catholic church, we gave up something during Lent. I remember years where my sisters and I would give up candy, chocolate, desserts, ice cream, anything in the realm of sugar, really. We would discuss it shortly before Ash Wednesday, get the ashes on our foreheads then be diligent in keeping our commitments to abstain from whatever chosen confection we decided upon. Catholics don't take Sundays off during Lent. We were all in for 40 days.

This tradition has stuck with me as an adult. Lent 2012 included giving up pizza, most Mexican food, and my favorite dish at Village Tavern - Chicken Colorado (covered with cheddar). I had to think a lot more about my meals. My salads had to be ordered specifically. I had tacos instead of quesadillas and no queso with my chips. I made bacon and eggs rather than a quiche and I went without almost every kind of Italian food. It was (and still is through Easter) a challenge. God used the challenge in an interesting way this year than any other Lenten season. Because I thought a lot more about what ingredients made up my meals, I started thinking about food and how we as a society use it.
About 2 weeks ago I was commuting home and considering my options for cheese-less dinner. While I was brainstorming and driving along, my stomach let out a loud growl (even with the music on). At that moment I was consumed with the thought of my bodily response. I was hungry. I had breakfast that morning and a late lunch on the run from one appointment to the next, and now I was hungry again. I found myself putting my foot harder on the gas and looking around my car for a snack. When finding none, God put a profound and simple thought into my heart and I was dumbfounded. Far too many people live with this feeling everyday. Hunger is defined as "A feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat." and almost 1 billion people suffer from hunger regularly in our world today. This is the same year I gave up cheese and the year I didn't have a snack in my car.
I'm working on "sitting with it" when God reveals something to me, so I'm not sure what to do about these thoughts, but do want to continue reflecting on them in hopes of bringing others into the conversation, investigating what can be done and what my role should be. I'll be in touch.

Check out this infographic from the World Food Programme regarding some facts about hunger.