Food for Thought - Chili that Changed a Life

Like most people, I've always appreciated a good cup of Chili, especially on a cold rainy night, but I know for certain, I have never craved it, nor looked specifically for chili on a menu in a restaurant. My husband loves chili! I mean really loves it! In fact it's one of his favorite foods. Better than the homemade kind, he prefers it canned. What always makes me laugh is the fact that of all the canned brands to choose from, he would rather eat the "bottom-shelf" or generic brand. I won't name names, but it's the popular one, and you can get them in various blends. Thank God! I would hate for him to have only one choice!

We were newlyweds at the time, and at first I thought he liked canned chili because of the fact he was just so "thrifty". Any new wife with courage would want to break their husband of that bad habit quickly. So, we would jostle back and forth at the grocery store, and I would say things like "Honey, why don't you try this premium gold label premium brand chili? Look, they're on sale and one can has got whole chunks of Black Angus meat in there!" He would say, "No thanks. I want those 3 for .99" Then I would try, "Sweetie, how bout I buy a kit and made it fresh with real ground beef? "No thanks, I don't want real beef... it doesn't taste the same... Can't you just make me what I like?" My response was "Yes, I can, but I'll tell you what, I'll be a Food Network failure!"

Many pots ago, I stopped trying new chili recipes. How can one housewife even begin to fight a battle with his finely evolved taste-buds! He was the ultimate coinsure of canned cuisine! He could be the spokes-person for their company! I've even tried to trick him into thinking it came from a can... He can't be fooled!

My husband doesn't just love chili; however, he loves what it means to him! Chili saved his life! There is always a story behind a story, and this is what I want to share with you. I have never connected a cup of chili to the salvation of a soul, or what the impact would be on the people in our lives because of chili... but there has been...

Ten years ago, he was invited to share a cup of yummy goodness with some Christian Bikers who were offering hot cups of love, in the form of chili, on a freezing December day in downtown Seattle. Like most metropolitan areas, downtown Seattle is one of many places that host hundreds of homeless people. Many church groups serve food to the hungry and our church today is no exception. Wanting very much to connect with the street people, hoping and praying that they would find the love of Christ in us, they can't always smell or taste love, but they sure can feel it in a hot meal!

That's why those Bikers were there that day. That's why Jerry was too. He was cold and hungry, and lonely and tired of just existing. He had been wandering for years, and like many people who have had major setbacks, don't know where to begin again. We, the people who love them, don't have all the answers either. What we do know is that we all have to start somewhere. Isn't it funny that a new life can begin over a meal? Throughout history, I'm sure many important decisions have been made over a fine dinner party or two.

That day Jerry was offered a cup of chili, a hat and a pair of gloves. That was also the day he was offered a new home, away from the madness of his life. He was offered a place in a Christian Discipleship program, where he could get out of the cold, end his cycle of addiction, and begin to put his life back together. He was told if he didn't want his life anymore, that he should give it to someone who wanted it... and that someone was Christ. He went that day, and he never looked back, unless it was to return to the streets with the same type of love he found there.

Since that day, he and The Lord have done some amazing things! I went through similar life circumstances when we met at a Christian outing. Actually, we met over a hot dog (I'm thinking food has been a major theme in our life) and we married three years later. God has been so good to us! Jerry has since become a pastor. He and I, with an incredible team, now have a church and a faith-based treatment center in Seattle, where people can come and find a place to start over, in Christ.

We don't have college degrees, or seminary certificates. What we do have that qualifies us are backgrounds in addiction, pain, loss and a deep longing to belong. We have been blessed, so that we can bless others. We have been saved, so we can point others to the Savior. Hundreds have passed through our doors. How many have we fed? All of them!

Think twice when you see us feeding the homeless. It could be the beginning of an incredible life for someone! Better yet, buy two burgers the next time you're getting lunch! You could run into a life worth feeding! What drew us to Christ? Need. What brought us out in the open? Hunger. What drew my husband back into a deep relationship with God that day? Chili.