The tale of the faithful crockpot

 

I can't complain, it's part of being a homeowner.  This month the blower motor went out on the air handler and between having it diagnosed, getting the part ordered and getting it installed we were without heat/AC for two weeks.  Mere days after that repair, just yesterday morning hours before our houseguests arrived, our garbage disposal ruptured and leaked water everywhere.  But not to be outdone, yesterday evening our hot water heater gave up the ghost, leaving our guests the joy of taking cold showers as they were the ones to discover we had no hot water.  

If only more appliances were as dependable as our old Crockpot.   The Crockpot pictured above has served us faithfully for well over 20 years.  We picked it up at the end of the last century in Springfield, MO on our way back to Jacksonville, IL after attending the Tulsa Soul Winning Workshop.  To this day we use it regularly, and if you know us well you might even recognize it.  

This old Crockpot has never let me down.  At the church in Jacksonville we had monthly potlucks, and I cooked dozens of cornedbeefs in those days.  I'd run to the fellowship-hall on Saturday night, set the Crockpot on low, and by time church was over Sunday, voila!  Here in Kingsport as well, the old Crockpot provided for many a potluck in our early days here.  And who knows how many meals we've cooked at home, or how many gallons of soupbeans we've cooked or meals shared over the years.

This old Crockpot has helped us bless others with the gift of hospitality numerous times, to many times to remember, and it has been a faithful standby for many homemade meals.  I only wish the folks who made our "slow cooker" could have made the rest of our appliances...

I know our recent inconveniences with failed appliances are nothing compared to the travails suffered from recent flooding in Southeast KY, or the pounding the folks took in FL from their recent hurricane.  And again, I'm really not complaining about these repairs, it's to be expected because nothing lasts forever.  I'm grateful for a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, plenty to eat, and that we have the resources to pay for our repairs when these things happen, God is good.

What a dying friend taught me about hospitality

I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the topic of hospitality. I’ve known for years and I have preached about how hospitality is essential for strengthening Christian communities; nothing bonds people more than sharing time around a table. Our door at home is an open door and our adult children have carried on themselves, what we have modeled for them their whole life. We’ve hosted small groups in our home over the years -- more times than I can count. I’ve trained church leaders in hosting groups in their homes. I even helped put a book together on hospitality several years ago. But unexpectedly tonight, I learned something new about hospitality.

Even after all of these years of practicing the habit of hospitality I discovered something I hadn’t considered. How did I learn this? Sandy taught me. Sandy who? Sandy is a member of our church, but you may know her as well as a local hairdresser; she owns Attitudes Salon on Center street. The ever fashionable and cheery Sandy taught me something valuable about hospitality and I’ll never forget her lesson.

You see, my wife and I have enjoyed having a hospitable home for as long as I can remember, but, I’ve kind seen hospitality as a one-way blessing and somewhat as a chore -- yes a labor of love is probably a better term. But still, being hospitable requires some work, or so I thought. And, I’ve thought about all of the people “we’ve” blessed by opening our home to them. By work, I mean I have thought in terms of all of the meals we’ve prepared, and then the dishes to be done, and of course the prerequisite vacuuming and dusting before everyone arrives, whew. As for the directional-blessing, I have always thought about how the folks who received the gift of your hospitality are, well, they are the ones being blessed by you.

But, tonight I saw hospitality through the eyes of Sandy, Sandy who has inspired my wife and me for quite awhile as we have watched Sandy face health battles that would've left me crying in a corner and probably grumpy and not very nice. Tonight, Sandy was resting comfortably in her living room, in a hospital bed.

Pouty, whiny, cranky? Not Sandy. She remains steadfastly cheerful, optimistic, strong, and she has the most positive outlook I’ve ever seen anyone have. Quick-witted and funny as ever, she said a few things tonight that opened my eyes to a deeper truth about hospitality.

Here’s what Sandy taught me, hospitality doesn't merely bless the visitor, it blesses the host. Sandy shared how much she loves people and how she loves having company over. I know that doesn't sound profound or earth-shattering, but the more I thought about her words, the more I saw how much I’ve misunderstood the topic.

We enjoy having people over and sharing meals, sure. Also, I never took myself for a Martha (she’s the one who is complaining to Jesus about all the hard work & preparation she was doing, in Luke 10:38-42), I love to cook, especially grilling, and while I’ve never been bitter about having houseguests, I have always seen hospitality as hard work. More importantly though, I really hadn’t understood how much of a blessing having company over can be for some people.

I’m not recommending you invite yourself over to someone else’s house just so you can bless them, though that occurs to me that’s kind of a funny thought, “Hey I’m coming over, just wanted to bless your day...” I am saying, when you offer to host a meal you’ll be blessed and when you receive an invitation into someone’s home, you might brighten their day and bless them more than you knew you could.

Tasting is believing, why you need to ride the foodtruck wave now

                                      

To be frank, our family doesn't go out to eat all that often.  Typically, I prefer to cook with my wife or I enjoy grilling over charcoal, of course.  In part, we don't eat out all that often because living in East Tennessee leaves us with few options to choose from outside of the stale worn out chain-restaurant.  Man, I miss the diversity of the food in the Chicagoland area.  Even though we rarely go out to eat, we almost never pass up a local foodtruck junction.

Today my wife and I went to the Farmer's Market in downtown Kingsport to attend the foodtruck junction.  Judging by the overflowing garbage cans surrounding today's event and the long lines at the foodtrucks, we weren't the only ones to get our fill.  The Farmer's Market was an excellent choice of venues and today's foodtruck junction drew a varied crowd of all ages.  Tattooed hipsters with their dogs in tow and young families pushing strollers were side-by-side with elderly people, all waiting in line to sample the great food that was being offered.  

I've been in construction on and off for 30 years, and today's foodtrucks aren't to be confused with the trucks that pull up on the jobsite selling sandwiches and coffee, the ones we've lovingly nicknamed maggot-wagons.  Also, don't confuse today's foodtrucks with fastfood restaurants.  The new breed of foodtrucks offer gourmet choices and they provide a wide variety of menu options.   The foodtrucks of today optimize social media and they collaborate with other foodtrucks to bring together a mobile foodcourt extraordinaire. 

Our first stop, as always, is at the Foodiefiction foodtruck.  The owner & multi-talented chef is Michael Archdeacon, an expatriot of New York.  I'm guessing many of the people who were sampling the foodtrucks at today's event didn't know that Michael was once the head chef at a local favorite, The Troutdale.  We sampled his brisket taco.  We were sad they were already out of their delicious mac & cheese creation, small squares of fried mac & cheese.  Foodiefiction has a menu that will absolutely rock your world. 

We also hit up another great foodtruck, the Caribbean Grill.  The Ramos family operates this truck.  They moved to the Tricites about 10 years ago from New Jersey, and they've been running their foodtruck for about 4 years now.  They have several fine options to choose from, but I always get their Cuban sandwich.  

Something I've noticed.  New restaurants in our area seem to go through a similar phase, at first everyone rushes to get in line, then when the new wears off, a new restaurant hardly every gets a second thought from the locals.  This isn't the case with foodtrucks.   

I think part of the reason the foodtruck craze is so captivating to both the entrepreneurs who strive to provide an excellent experience and the customers who wait outdoors to eat, is due to the flexibility and versatility of the venue.  Each time you go to a foodtruck junction, it is like a new experience.  The offerings are fresh, crafted with a personal flair, not like the mass produced prepackaged food you get in a chain restaurant. And, when these foodtrucks gather in one location, it's a win-win for everyone.

I'm guessing that local brick & mortar restaurants see the foodtrucks as competition.  And though the experience is different dining off of a foodtruck, while the prices and the wait are about the same, I'm glad to see the foodtrucks give the old establishment a run for their money.