Posted by Grant
Happy belated Easter! Sorry we've been a little lax in posting of late. We've had a lot on our plate recently (no pun intended). We officially concluded month one on March 31. Personally I thought the food fast would be difficult at first and then progressively get easier. But it turns out to have worked the other way around for me. The first week wasn't that difficult, but by week four I thought if I even saw a tortilla I would vomit. I have gained an appreciation for avocados, a vegetable I've always been leery of. I also discovered that I don't need 3 or 4 cups of coffee every morning before work. Since our only option for a "sweetener" was honey, Michelle and I can drink "unsweet" tea with no problem, quite a task considering sweet tea was (and still is) a staple in my own family. You'd be surprised how much better your mind will feel when it isn't filled to satiety with processed sugar. Needless to say, after we came off the fast, yours truly did enjoy another Ghost River Black Magic (www.ghostriverbrewing.com). My dearest wife was able to satisfy her longing for a Chic-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit, which is always exceptionally delicious (I mean come on. It is Christian chicken after all. I know the Bible says Jesus fed people with bread and fish...but it was really Chic-Fil-A.)
We have seen the advantage of asking and seeking (don't you love all the Biblical puns in this post?) where our food really comes from and what's in it. If you're going to eat out, eat local. The food really is better! I didn't believe this before I tried it. When it came to food, I was a dedicated low-price only food shopper. I told myself I couldn't afford to buy local food because it was too expensive. Undoubtedly I have paid with my health to some degree, and if a change was not made I would have paid later as well. I suppose it just comes down to deciding if you want the cost to be from your wallet or your health.
Michelle and I have loved and hated this month. We thank all of the folks that read this blog and encourage us. We hope you will continue to follow along with us. Stay tuned for an intro into Month Two, in which we'll be fasting from the excess of all of our stuff. You know...that drawer or closet full of clothes you never wear and those DVDs you never watch? Yeah that stuff. And then what about the stuff you do love? Your favorite shoes, or the movies you do love, or your iPod? Yes indeed. Next month will be interesting.
Showing posts with label Ghost River Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghost River Brewery. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Simplifying the Skeltons! Month One/Day One
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
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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