Bring on the appetizers...

When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
Romans 14:21

We eat out a lot. This holds true for a lot of people. It seems like we eat out an average of three times per week. Now, with inflation and the economy like it is...it's sometimes cheaper to eat out due to prices of eggs, milk...etc. Well, it's a good and bad thing.

It's probably not the best thing for my health. It's good though because we usually go out to eat with somebody, some family, or group. That's mainly the focus of our eating out anymore. We want to share life and one of the best ways to do this is around a table. Now, the above passage shows Paul lining out some things to help people cultivate good relationships. There are a lot food related things covered in Romans 14.

The breakfast, lunch, dinner tables are all great places to share Jesus. Some of my most memorable moments with friends involve sitting around a table, like at Perkins for example, at 2 am in the morning. My high school/college friends and I would end our nights after playing frisbee, watching movies, playing NES, Mariokart, playing music, whatever at Perkins. We would discuss life, what's next, girls, guys (if the girls were with us), movies, culture, chicken strips (quickly fried?), adam sandler movies, the plan for tomorrow, family, dreams, everything. We were so open and it was a blast to just hang and talk.

We'd eat our food, then continue talking until people started trickling out. At that point, we'd call it a night and would return the next night, or following weekend. Life was different then. Much simpler. We had stuff going on, but it didn't match some of the "adult" stuff that can come up. Why can't it be simple though? That's where I want to return. Not to that time of life, but to the ability to hang out with friends and family and to feel open enough to share struggles, celebrations, and whatever. Sharing Jesus around an appetizer sampler, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, onion rings...it's all good. It's so simple!

Eating out can be a good thing...all food is good. Let's eat and share the life of Jesus.