Life on Rural Street

This is from BJ’s blog:
As a community, the Open Door is seeking to develop simple weekly missional practices, rhythms or postures that we think help orient and center us to live in the way of Jesus.

There is more information there on the other practices too. (Just wanted you to know since I'm writing about Eating today...)

Last night we talked about Eating as a practice. I shouldn’t say “talked” really. We took communion together, ate dinner together as a community and discussed a passage of scripture.

On a side note I really wanted to enjoy the meal and discussion with everyone more than I did. Téah didn’t have a good nap yesterday and was in breakdown mode. I love the Open Door’s worship gatherings, but I will fully admit that I don’t like when we meet. Téah needs to go to bed around 7pm at night or she just loses everything I love about her. And by the time we get rolling with our worship gatherings on Sunday nights she’s ready for bed. It’s very tough for me to keep her entertained and somewhat engaged with simple things like the music when she’s so tired. Most people that I know of though, love the timing of our gathering. So, for that, I am very grateful and will tough it out until Téah gets a bit older. Side note over.

Back to eating.

Eating is a hard practice for me. Not because I don’t like to eat, because I do. (Trust me on this one.) I have often used meals as a “getaway.” At work when I’m tired of dealing with people I go take a walk and eat lunch by myself. I really don’t mind going out to eat by myself. (Yep, I’m one of those people.) I like to host people and I very much enjoy cooking for others. But living in small apartments for the past few years has made that difficult. So the other purpose of meals for me is family time. I go out to eat with my family to catch up and talk. We go over to John’s parents’ house to do the same thing a lot. (Ok, right now we walk upstairs… but that is another side note.)

All of this to say I am being challenged with this new practice of Eating. In our discussion last night we talked about how Scripture was challenging us to invite the poor and the homeless to eat with us. Somehow my personal alone time and my family time don’t fit with that model. I am not saying that I have to give those up. My alone time is very important to my sanity as is my family time. However, I am realizing that I need to be willing to step out of these ways of eating and eat with others more often. One step at a time. But I think it is very important that I start trying to do this.

I also don’t think this practice is “abnormal” as it sounds initially. Think of Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, even the 4th of July. They often revolve around the meal!

Last side note: Some of this will be easier when I have a kitchen.