More than 2 cups of Coffee.

One of my most favourite devotional thoughts is about 2 cups of Coffee.  I have actually presented this with the container and all the bits and pieces that go with it. It is something we may at times follow and yet do so poorly at.  I hope you enjoy reading this again.

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.


When the class began wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.  The Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.  The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course the sand filled up everything else.  He then asked once more if the jar was full.  The students  responded with an unanimous "Yes".  The Professor then produced 2 cups of coffee from under the desk and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand.  The students laughed.

"Now" said the Professor, as the laughter subsided "I want you to recognize that this represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your friends and favourite passions.. things that if everything else was lost and only they remained your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house and car.
The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

"If you put the sand in first" he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all of your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your partner out to dinner.  Play another 18 holes of golf.  There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.  "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter set your priorities.  The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.  The Professor smiled "I'm glad you asked.  It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

0092c0d5-efdf-4379-b514-ca1ed77d26dd

1.03.01

Food for Thought

I found this poem in the Australian Table Magazine from 1999 when I was helping my Home Economic students  find some pictures and information for posters they were researching for, and I thought it would be nice to share it.  I shared it with them and they thought it was special and should be shared too.  I have used in another blog site but thought it was too good just to have on one site.



Do you have time to cook a meal?
Do you have time to supp?
Do you know how your children feel when dinner times is up?
Does your kitchen smell of chopped up fruit?
Of pies and mince and bread?
Is your table strewn with drink to suit?
Do the smells fill your head?

Fill your head with memories?
And the stuff to make some more.
Are meal times like a gentle breeze that can open doors?
Does eating give you nourishment
For your body and your soul?
Does your table do just what it’s meant or has it a greater role?

Is it a place of talk and jest?
Of philosophy and mirth?
Is it a place where you can rest and come back down to earth?
Is your palate served a King’s delight
Or are your meals but simple fare?
Are they fatty or labeled “light”? Or do you really care?

Do you cook your meals in the coals
(as would a drover or a camper)?
They catch from favourite fishing holes with billy tea and damper.
No matter where your supper’s laid, No matter with who you dine
No matter if it’s ready-made or a chef’s design
Here’s a little food for thought when next you carve the roast
Share the time as we ought with those that mean the most


Kim Russell (Australian Tables, November 1999)

Hospitality for God 101

Why would someone write something about this most common practiced social activity? Everyone does it don’t they? We have the social committee s at work and church to do that, so that we can all have fun. We invite our friends and family members over for a meal or BBQ to spend time together.

 Do we really know what the term hospitality really means? Meredith Fawcett and Leonie Lee in their book  Food tech issues (1995) states "Food or drink is offered to a guest for a number of reasons:

• to make the guest feel welcome;
• for companionship - sharing food can make the guest feel relaxed and happy in the presence of others;
• familiarity - when the guest is from a different cultural background it may be of value to offer them food and drink that is familar to them so they will feel comfortable and welcome." (pp.14,15)

Hospitality is a very important part of the gospel and Middle Eastern culture. In the mind of the Israelite or Middle Eastern person the presence of a guest under one’s room was considered literally a God-given opportunity to do a good deed. Why would they think like this?

Well let’s look at scripture. In Leviticus God asks or directs the people when they go into the Promised Land to look after the widowed, fatherless and strangers/ aliens by providing food, water and shelter.

How serious is God about this type of Hospitality well have a look at Matthew 25: 34 - 46.  Yes it comes down to how we treat people and the reason for our actions.

If God places so much importance on this can we find any examples of God providing Hospitality? Yes we can.

In the Old Testament there are quite a few.

1. Exodus experience of the Jews in the wilderness. God provided water and manna everyday for 40 years for over a million people.

2. He provided food for Elijah at the beginning of the drought by ravens and the end of it after his flight from Jezebel.

3. He provided the Widow of Nahan and Elijah with oil and flour for 3 long drought ridden years.

4. He cares about our food and health by un poisoning the cucumber soup of the prophets through Elisha.

In the New Testament there are examples as well.

1. Jesus’ first miracle was to turn Water into Wine.

2. Jesus Feed five thousand men (counted also women and children ) from 2 loaves and five fish. There was so much food left over that there were 12 baskets of it.

3. Another time there were 10 baskets of bread and fish left over after feeding 3 thousand men.

4. He provided breakfast for the disciples on the shore after they had been fishing all night for the last time.

5. God also provided food for Jesus after his temptation.

Jesus told many parables of what the kingdom of God is like and what God is really like. My favourite Christian author tells how he held a birthday party for a prostitute in Honolulu at 3 am. The café owner wanted to know which church he went to, to be able to do that. Is God like that?

Yes Jesus tells of prodigical son and the father response to finding his lost son. He also tells stories about the King who held a party and was rejected by his acquaintances and so he invited everyone in and had them dress up.

There is one more party to come and I know I want to be there. (To quote the heritage singers.) There is one big party in the earth made new and we will make new friends and reacquaint ourselves with old ones and family who have passed away. Yes that is a party worth accepting the invitations too.

In accepting that invitation we have then a response to make when we consider Matthew 25. We have to choose first to be covered by Jesus’ white garment. We cannot do things on our own. We then have to follow the directions set down by God and it is our attitude in doing them that God will be noticing.

Practically we have examples of hedeseed given in the Old Testament in the book of Ruth and that is how Boaz was blessed. So what can we do?

How many of us spend time at thanks giving or Christmas time down at a kitchen that provides meals for people without homes and also family to share this time with for whatever reason.

How many of us have invited home from church the visitors that have come that day. The people who live by themselves (male or female) or do we leave it for the social committee or the person who is rostered on to do it? That’s their job is it not?

We can invite our non-church friends to dinner or a games night at our place and slowly introduce them over time to Christ through friend ship evangelism. We can invite those difficult children to our child’s birthday party and let them enjoy friendship and learn social skills. There are many little things (like provide a drink of water for the person walking door to door on a hot day) that we do each day if we have this mindset that God will see and no one else, but they will be recorded in heaven for all eternity. Also in doing this many have entertained Angels.

So after all this discussion what do you think the answer is to the question is God serious about hospitality? I think the only question really is what are you going to do about?