The Never Ending Feast

Tonight we planned on going to dinner with our friend CJ at a new restaurant here in Lubbock called Blue Sky Burgers. When we got there, the parking lot was packed and the line was almost out the door. So, we decided we would need to try it another time! We were trying to think of another restaurant close by that would not be to crowded, and decided we would go to Maharaja again. May seem boring, but seriously, it's that good. Plus, they have so much on the menu, and every time we go, we have a hard time ordering anything other than the tikka masala, so we figured since we just had it last night we could try a new dish tonight. Also, CJ had never been and wanted to try it out.

Tonight we had meat samosas for our appetizer. They were really good. And I was so hungry, I gobbled it down before even thinking of taking a picture (I had a salad for lunch, so I was starving)! For our meal tonight, we asked the waitress for a recommendation. One dish she mentioned was the palak chicken. It is spiced chicken breast with fresh creamed spinach and spices all blended in curry sauce. It was so good! It came with rice, and we ordered a side of naan as well. CJ had the tikka masala and really liked it.

Here is the thing I love about Indian food, it has such a wonderful balance of savory and sweet flavors, with just the right amount of spices. You take the first bite and think it is pretty good, and as your taste buds begin to absorb the flavors even more, it just gets better. You begin to taste different spices, and it makes for such a wonderful dining experience! Anyway, I just think it is delicious, but you will have to try it yourself!

Today I finished reading the book, The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. It is a great book that I would definitely recommend. It is short and explains the parable of The Prodigal Son really well, teaching us about Christ and the people who are the "Younger Brother" and those that are the "Older Brother." In the last chapter, he is discussing the importance of community (the church), and the feast that the Father gives for the son. As he explains this feasting, and how it is a symbol of community and a picture of heaven (among other things-I am giving you a condensed version), it made me think about how wonderful food is, and that eating and drinking together is one way we enjoy God's people and his gifts to us. As I sat at the dinner table tonight with Josh and CJ, enjoying conversation with them and savoring the amazing flavors, I was reminded of that feast I had read about. It also makes me realize that while tonight was wonderful, heaven will be infinitely better than even my greatest feasts here on earth.

I have been thinking about food, and about heaven and earth a lot recently. A friend of ours, Emily Mulkey, passed away last week. She was someone I was just beginning to know, but who was the sister-in-law of some of our best friends here in Lubbock. She was a 26 year-old wife and mother to a 3 year-old daughter. She had cystic fibrosis her entire life and had received a double-lung transplant about a year and a half ago. She had been sick recently and passed away from complications with that illness. You can find more details at her blog, here (a friend of hers has been posting since the time she got sick).

It was really hard to see her go, and to imagine what life will be like for her husband and daughter. It is also difficult to see our friends have to face such sadness as well. Her funeral was on Monday, and among many of the things said there, one of the people speaking mentioned how Emily enjoyed things in life, like food (Dr. Pepper and Mike and Ikes to be exact), because she knew her time on earth would be short.

I know food has no saving powers, nothing sacred in itself. However, I do think that throughout Scripture, the Lord shows us that enjoying food and drink on this earth can be a way to glorify God. We can soak in the good things God has given us. We can sit with friends and family around a good meal and experience a wonderful sense of community. And in these things, we can be pointed to the greatest feast, the feast where we will all sit around His table, with an abundance of food and drink..and this feast will never have to end!

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;

⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

-Isaiah 25:6-8