In this morning’s Fruit of the Vine, Katy Matchette reflects on one of my favorite topics: food. On Friday morning, my family was driving through town on their way to the Oregon Coast. I had to work and couldn’t join them on their adventure, so they joined me for a quick breakfast at the Newberg Bakery. I had a cup of coffee and a marionberry cinnamon roll. It was good.
Katy and I agree about food. “If it’s food, I like it,” she writes. An interesting thing about food – as far as Katy and I are concerned – is how often it shows up in scripture.
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes form the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 KJV). God’s precepts are “sweeter than ... honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).
And then there is Jesus’ challenge in John 6:27 that his followers “devote their energy not to seeking food, but the sustenance that would lead them to eternal life.” Katy admits that this is a hard word: “How do I begin to esteem God’s Word more than dinner?”
I think back on that cinnamon roll. I appreciated its shape and color. I took in the aroma. I ate it with my fingers, savoring every mouthful of cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, soft-baked dough, and warm marionberries. I know that I might not get to have a cinnamon roll (or probably shouldn’t have one) every morning. But I do have to eat. Every single day. Which might be Jesus’ point. Getting to know him is something I have to do. Every single day.
“Assimilating the Bread of Life is a long-term project,” according to Katy. And she offers this prayer: “Father, whet my appetite for the Bread of Life.”
Eric Muhr
On hospitality
In this morning’s Fruit of the Vine, Ron Woodward reflects on the welcome he and others experienced in Kotzebue, Alaska. “I especially remember the times that our crew took coffee breaks and accepted the hospitality of George and Maggie Melton in their tent out behind our work site. During those times George and Maggie served us coffee and homemade bread with jam.”
Ron’s text this morning comes from 1 Peter 4 in which we are reminded that “love covers a multitude of sins” and that for this reason, we should “be hospitable to one another without complaining.” Ron remembers that George and Maggie “were always kind and generous with our crew, and in spite of very limited means they gave of what they had.” George was a native pastor. Each winter, “after freeze-up – George and Maggie would pack up their tent in Kotzebue and return to one of the Eskimo villages.”
The Fruit of the Vine quarterly devotional reader has been helping to bring together Friends since 1961. That first collection of meditations was written by T. Eugene Coffin, Arthur O. Roberts, and J. Emel Swanson; and they suggested that “these ‘seed thoughts’ are put to best use ... for family devotions or for personal, supplemental reading – depends upon circumstances.” Back in 1961, each day had an assigned Scripture reading and a short introduction to that day’s Bible passage. Prayers were “not included, for we hope that as the Holy Spirit gains entrance into your hearts through the unfolding of Scripture you will discover both the need and words of prayer.”
Nearly sixty years have passed, and we’re still producing a new issue of Fruit of the Vine four times a year. Each day offers a reflection – usually some personal experience – on a short passage from Scripture. Each day also now includes a song and a simple, one- or two-sentence prayer. I’m convinced that this little devotional reader is one of the ways – one day after another – that God has been teaching us to encourage, challenge, and inspire one another. And I suspect that another sixty years from now, we’ll still have much to learn.
Eric Muhr
Letting the Light In
Richard and Nathan Foster, Gina Ochsner, Dennis Littlefield, and I have been working for most of this last year on the details of a retreat for writers. Letting the Light In: Writing for the Growth of the Soul is for Christian writers who “need the vision to wrestle honestly with the complexities of the human condition and the skills to articulate those realities in ways that are crisp and imaginative.” Hosted just outside of Newberg on Camp Tilikum’s 93 beautiful, lake-front acres, the gathering is also sponsored by Renovaré and Barclay Press.
The 2017 Christian Writers Retreat is the first annual retreat of its kind at Tilikum and will bring together a broad spectrum of Christian writers and speakers. Along with Ochsner and the Fosters, presenters and writing mentors include Bill Jolliff, Mark and Lisa McMinn, Ed Higgins, and Linda Clare. One-on-one mentoring will also be available to retreat participants.
Richard Foster and his family lived at Tilikum in the 1970s when he was on the pastoral team at Newberg Friends Church. During these years he wrote the book, Celebration of Discipline. From this connection to Tilikum, the idea came to develop a special place for Christian writers. That idea has resulted in work on a cabin for Christian writers and in this retreat – the first of what may be many annual gatherings for Christian writers.
Lodge Housing and Commuters: Tilikum has overnight housing for 40 guests to stay in the Lodge (usually 2 per room with a private bath). We also have room for 6 guests to commute. The registration page has two links, one for overnight and the other for commuters. The cost is $350 for overnight guests and $150 for commuters, if registered by September 10, 2017.
Click here for more information and to register for the 2017 Christian Writers Retreat.
Eric Muhr