A Taste of Home - Pt 1

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15 ESV).

We lived in several places in East Texas over the years of our ministry. Each of them has a very special part in our lives. I suppose we can call that region “home” as easily as any we have lived. Our children were born there and we still have many good friends who live in that part of our state. It is one of those places where the chicken is fried, the pine trees grow tall, and the accents drip thick with “honeys” and “bless-your-hearts.” It is also a place where Thanksgiving is taken very seriously as extended family gathers together for lunch and a relaxing time of “catching up.” When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of home, and when I think of home, I think of family gatherings in Galveston. The aroma of herbs and spices combined in all manner of Italian food inside the house and the hickory smoke of the barbeque pit outside is still a vivid memory for me. I can hear the men gathered telling their tales of the year gone by and expressing their hope for an even better year ahead. Some of them would talk about growing up in the Depression with all the difficulties of life as immigrants. When the cooking was finally finished everyone gathered, a prayer was offered, and the line to serve themselves began form. There was never a lack of food or fun. Almost all of those folks are gone now. I guess my generation has become “the old folks.” The world has also shifted with age and time, and the will of God has taken me from my home, but I still remember those days fondly. I have done my best to make sure my family has a place to gather at least once a year, though we are scattered across the country with children in Texas, Florida, and Washington DC. It may be a mere expression of sentimentality or nostalgia, though I prefer to think of it as my desire for the simplicity of childhood. I believe we all long for that kind of “home.” We all long for that feeling of familiarity, of being known in all of our ages and stages. We all long for a place, a time, or an assuredness that all is right with the world, that it’s been freed from its turmoil and unspeakable atrocities. Some of us, who’ve not had a sanctuary in our youth try to create it for our own children. We desire the simplicity of a satisfying meal and togetherness with others around a table. We long for an eternal peace. We crave time to stop, that we might try to fully ingest the overarching story of our lives and God’s gracious hand weaving there throughout. May I remind you that you have that promise in heaven? Tomorrow we will celebrate that thought. Today, look forward. Your redemption draws near!