Last Sunday we challenged our congregation to “sacrifice” 5 meals this week and substitute what they would regularly eat with a meal that is common to the children who are educated and fed at one of our mission works in Uganda. The meal is beans and rice, and a few spices or additives.

The big picture is not just to substitute but to take what we would have spent on groceries or eating out and give it to our annual Big Give offering- supporting the mission of The MET.

So Kelly and I are making the meal switch this week and we have learned a couple of things, mostly involving bodily functions… but seriously, we have both been surprised the most about how much advance planning is needed to eat so simply. Sorting, soaking, boiling, and simmering take time and are such a contrast to how we usually eat!

Got me to thinking that our spiritual lives are no different, most of the time I want a quick-fix faith… an instant-on, microwave cooked relationship with Christ. The funny thing is, our faith ends up just as uncooked as our rice and beans do when we try to rush it. Tough, unpalatable, and not very edible. And what about the hard stones!!

Pretty ironic that what I have learned the most through this beans and rice journey has nothing to do with Africa, sustenance diets, or identifying with the mission of The MET. It has been a learning moment in slowing down and finding the perfect nourishment in God’s word, prayer, and worship.