Posted by Grant
This is the official inauguration of our fast. Michelle and I went shopping last night and purchased all of our foods. Subsequently, we came home and raided our fridge (in a very different sense). No Ramen noodle packet was safe, no frozen Tupperware overlooked. We cleaned out our fridge and left nothing but the shelves. Then we filled it with our approved foods, a list of which follows below.
We had our final indulgence last night at the Bayou (http://www.bayoubarmemphis.com/), a place that has become one of our favorite Midtown restaurants. The kitchen is open late, and no matter what time we show up on a Friday or Saturday night, we always get a table. I immersed myself in a deep bowl of blackened chicken and shrimp fettuccine (creamy red sun-dried tomato sauce) and also got my first taste of Ghost River beer (http://ghostriverbrewing.com/). I had the seasonal Black Magic and it was the most delicious dark beer I've had in quite some time. Speaking of beer, it isn't on our list of approved foods. Let us take a moment to look over that list.
The Hatmaker approved list, from chapter one of "7":
1. Chicken
2. Spinach
3. Eggs
4. Whole wheat bread
5. Sweet potatoes
6. Avocados
7. Apples
The modified Skelton certified list:
1. Turkey
2. Spinach
3. Bananas
4. Oatmeal
5. Eggs
6. Sweet potatoes
7. Avocados
8. Tortillas
9. Carrots
10. Tomatoes
11. Beans
12. Pineapple
In "7," Jen Hatmaker encourages readers to modify or alternate the plan to fit their own lives. Michelle knows of a couple that tried only the 7 foods from the book (please read it for more information). That method didn't work for them because the husband is a runner and he wasn't getting enough protein. We've made some changes to give ourselves plenty of foods with genuine nutritional value. We're reading ingredients lists and not purchasing foods with ingredients we can't pronounce (maltodeoxyriboflavindextrosiumafolic acid). The only approved beverages are water and tea. This of course excludes my newly found Ghost River beer and coffee. If you've ever spoken to my wife before she's had coffee, you know that you will hear words and syllables you didn't know the human tongue could utter. Likewise I have become dependent on my daily caffeine rush. We'll be stocking up our tea over the next day or so.
To conclude, I want to clarify and define the essence of our motivation. Together, we've read countless books on how to "get it." Every season, every year there's some new pastor/seminary professor/guru/public pundit/talking head that writes a book on how to "get it." It's laden with cool, hip language and metaphors and slang terms. It sells lots of copies and people talk about it for a few years. I do not think "7" is one such book. I believe that Michelle and I are embarking on a journey with our Father that will change and renew us from the inside out. It will show us our spiritual lack, and reveal just how "other" and "foreign" God is to us. How totally and absolutely unlike us He is. This is our real mission. The fast is just the road to walk upon, not the destination.
“And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them." - Ezekiel 4:9, ESV
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