Dinner on the Grounds

This week, my family and my parents drove back to our hometown to visit with some friends.  We have had the most wonderful time seeing the people who are more like family than even family.  It has been healing and refreshing to feel so much unconditional love coming towards us on the heels of a few unpleasant experiences elsewhere.  This sweet few days reminds me of so many others in our past where we've gathered together and passed around plates of comfort at a shared table.  Do you remember the days of "dinner on the grounds"? 

My parents are pastors, so I've had many opportunities to peek under lids of tin foil, plastic wrap and dish towels.  I always know whose fried chicken is the best, whose macaroni and cheese you must eat and whose squash casserole will leave you wanting more.  I know who will share recipes and who loves to keep family secrets.  I know when is the best time to get to the dessert table before the gooiest chocolate cake or tartest lemon pie disappears.  I have perfected the art of navigating the potluck, and I've learned that the older the actual container is, the better the flavor will be. 

Like those wonderful potluck dishes, we often gather together with our sweet friends who love the Lord.  You can tell those whose lives are beautifully seasoned.  It's easy to distinguish those who have marinated and simmered in God's sweet presence.  And I just want to run to the ones who have the containers with the most dings and stains.  This is it: I've learned that the saints who have weathered the battles and suffered the wounds of the fight of faith come out strong yet sweet, confident yet tender.  We have so much to learn from the people who have gone before us.

This week, a group of 20 or so of us were gathered in the home of a friend.  We began to sing, and I had to shut my eyes so that the tears of the older parents didn't open my own flood of emotion.  And when it was time to pray, the older ones among us went straight to the throne of God without hesitation.  They know God.  And the sweet thing is that seeing His powerful presence enter the room, I knew He knew them, too.  The time was wonderful - it was a feast laid out.  I sat there being so grateful that, once again, God allowed us the intimate favor of His fellowship.

And, yes, there was food.  We ate just like in the days gone by!  Everyone brought something to the table, and we all laughed and cried and reminisced and caught up....  We need more dinners on the ground, people!  When we mingle the food of fellowship with the sustenance of God's presence, there is an infilling that is multiplied and satisfying. 

So..come on over to my place!  Bring your tastiest dish!  And let's feast!

Potluck favorites, sure crowd pleasers: you cannot go wrong with homemade mac 'n' cheese.  It's what we scan the tables for.  And a Texas Sheet Cake is the most sought after potluck dessert!  Let me know what your favorite potluck dish is....