Along the lines of our food topic, that I know has to start from the bottom with a change of thinking. It takes time. One of my heros, Ron Paul, has been saying the truth for years, concerning our government, and is just now, within the last few years, getting a response. It takes time. The ministry above....I love it! We have one like it here in Germany. The food.... There are, MAYBE, two things that I can see in the picture, that I would consider given my kids, but I would have to read the label. It actually pains me, because this is what the poor can afford in the U.S., or what they think they can afford, making their kids happy. But it's making them sick, overweight, and cramping their teeth (Weston A. Price). If I wouldn't let my kids eat it, I wouldn't give it to anyone else. Let me stop right here and say, we are not perfect....we have a long way to go to even be remotely like some Germans around here, who are slowly changing into a McDonald's culture. One day I was walking around my kid's playground at his school during lunch time. It's a poor school, the kids that go there are mostly in hand-me-downs, struggling with the basics, but when I saw their lunches, I almost went back to get my phone to take a picture. I don't think the kids would have liked that, it's a very private culture. They do not like their pictures taken willy nilly. You need to ask permission, etc. They opened up their small boxes, boxes that in the States would have contained a lot of processed food (with very little actual food added), to a dozen cherry tomatoes and apple slices. That's lunch. Less carbs, more fruits and vegetables, and meat (wurst) often. There have been great developments in recent years, however. Last year McDonald's lost money. More and more people are waking up to the consequences of their food choices. I don't think the answer is telling people what to eat. I think, as someone who has gotten into gardening, one of the answers is to get the middle man out of our food. To know where our food is coming from. To be involved. This is why I think it's all connected. There is a spiritual connection. There might be a few farmers out there, that are dead on atheist, but most, even if they are not Christians, have a healthy fear of the One who created the earth. They are in the trenches of His creation everyday. I know for me, when my kids ponder how a tiny seed can grow into a fruit producing plant, it's an easy, no brainer, connection to an all powerful Creator. They have helped me plant, helped me weed, watched plants grow, picked the fruit....naturally it follows, they EAT the fruit. What about fast Christianity? Spoon fed, ultra streamlined, check it off the list, not sure where it comes from, Christianity? I think sometimes we have to get the middle man out of that, too. Just a thought. The premise is very basic. I'm not trying to get high minded...at....all. I think that's why it might be misunderstood. Why do we live such a tiring/busy life with supposedly so many conveniences? Why is the woman and her children living in a hut in Africa with a serious lack of what Americans term as "necessities" happier than most Americans. Why do we send our kids to the woods or some place other than the middle of the city bustle to reconnect with, or find God? BINGO. My reasoning is why not all of us? why not more often? In fact, let's put down those things that are "conveniently" removing the Creator of our food (real food), water, light, health, healing, creation, community, family, etc. from our everyday lives (with serious consequences). It's going to take more than a weekend at Camp Whozits. A serious rethink of our lives. And hey, people are doing it. They are seeing the need to develop skills that isn't revolved around dependence on man, but dependence on the Creator. Por ejemplo, it's one of our goals to have our sons work at a local dairy, when they get old enough. The bonus is, we are doing it to restore the created to the creator. See how not invasive or condemning this is? I am by NO means trying to draw battle lines. I'm not talking about a legalist approach that involves more rules. I'm talking about more connection where our lights can go farther. See the tower of Babel was only so high. That was all of man's efforts in one pathetic steeple. Man is not sufficient to save man. No amount of drugs can make us healthy, or vaccines. No amount of man made food can fill us. No amount of modern technology can replace a intimate relationship with community. Let's get food off the shelf, for a second, as my intention is not to trample feet, again. I love how Louie Giglio connects the stars and planets to a Creator in very real applicable fashion. Someone did the research, someone saw the majesty first. Think about that. What of the mindset that feels only faith is important, and what's revealed (sans looking for miracles) really isn't? Reconnect people #cultivate. Speaking of fashion. Let's take that example. Clothes. We all know that modesty is a permissible topic in church. What about the source? Who makes my clothes? Are they being exploited? If we would just ask these questions. I'm ashamed to say, I do not ask it very often. Consecutive steps, even when we feel like we can't do anything, leads to answers, and our lights shine farther and we are more aware. More aware of how truly BIG God is. Americans are notoriously unaware of what is going on around them, and overseas. Why? Consumers? Self consumed? My favorite album from Lecrae is, "Church Clothes Mixtape". One of the songs on there is "Cold World". It talks about these everyday plights that if our churches ignore, it just looks like we aren't connected and that our God is really small, no matter how often we are singing "How Great Thou Art". We are not the ministers of the middle class or the ones with computers, we are ministers of ALL people. So I want what I say today concerning this food topic, to be appropriate for anyone, of any status, economic or social, any color, and it is summed up in this, "meet your Creator, grow a garden." #cultivate
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