I feel like Iʼve been immersed in food re-cently. A movie about pastry chefs in France, an interview with Grant Achatz, a

world renowned chef who lost his sense of taste for two years due to tongue cancer, and a book defending “real” food by nutri-tion guru Michael Pollan, have all stirred in me thoughts about how our complicated rela- tionship with food mirrors our compli-

cated relationship with Jesus.

" Iʼm amazed at the many times throughout the Bible that food is used to express a reality about God or his kingdom. Most notably, of course, is the mystery of communion when Jesus says, “Eat me like bread and drink my blood like wine” and before that in Exodus when God sent sustaining manna from the sky and in Psalms when the writer in chapter 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Even The Tree of Life in The Garden has fruit designed to sustain and please Adam and Eve. Still, after all the attention God gives to food, we still have this complicated relationship with it. Whether we try and simply break down food to where it is nothing more than fuel to help us meet our physical goals or we gorge ourselves to satisfy our bottomless empti-ness, we are increasing unable to taste food. " Yet, I canʼt help but hold in tension the quote from Martin Luther saying, “We know that God loves us because he created beer,” to the generations of destruction due to alcoholism. Did Jesus really mean his blood was like wine? Could it be that we still are not quite sure how to ex-perience Jesus? I think itʼs much easier to use him like an energy bar we shove into our mouth as

we drive the kids to school, just fuel to get through life. Or worse, we make him an addic-tion to hide the real issues in our life so that on the outside we look like super-christians but weʼre killing ourselves inside with a french-fried, mono-culture religion. What does it mean to actually taste him? Really experience him?

" Iʼve always been astounded by the way people in European countries eat, all that heavy cream and cheese and saturated fat, yet they donʼt really have a problem with obe-sity. To my American sensibilities of “eating right” (thatʼs an interesting term) that kind of diet seems counter-productive but the one thing I feel like those countries have grasped is that they really do love food; they respect it. This pastry chef in the movie I just saw said, “You donʼt find any “all-you-can-eat” buffets in France,” because to them food is not simply nutri-

tion, a means to a end, it is a reflection of the values of life. They eat slow, they savor the experience. I have to admit eating that way takes too long. All that time in one place? Eating? Talking? Laughing? Why would I want that? I have things to do! So, the cost I pay for that is something like food. It functions like nutrition... and because it has less “stuff” in it, I think itʼs healthier... but itʼs not. Itʼs a poison Iʼve just built a tolerance to. It will kill me eventually. " You know, I think the spiritual discipline of fasting is Godʼs way of bringing taste back to our pallet, not just with food but with him. Itʼs a way of breaking us out of survival-mode and back to the simple taste of life. So that we will simply love the gift of experienc-ing him.

the torn curtain newslet ter

After Chef Grant Achatz lost his sense of taste to the cancer treatments he didnʼt want to eat anything. Just the thought of going through the mechanics of eating without the joy that comes from the taste of great food was almost enough to end his life. Then after two years his taste came back... not all at once but the way a newborn babyʼs tastes develops. Can you imagine that sensation?" Iʼm so fascinated by this idea of taste I think because it express the heart of Torn Curtain Arts. We want people to truly and profoundly taste Jesus. We want to arrange the flavors of sweet, bitter, salty, acidic on the palate to stir up emotions and stories that draw people into an experience with Him, to say nothing of the aroma weʼd like to spread to the rest of the world as we cook it all up. We use whatever tools we have at our disposal to surprise and maybe even challenge their expectations of what He actually tastes like. Yes, this is what weʼre about and this is what weʼre doing. Because we think that if you really want to experience Jesus and savor him like someone who has discovered their taste again, you will taste what Chef Achatz could taste after two years of nothing... Sweet."

current ly:We are partnering with

Restoration Community Church to help them produce their weekly worship program.

We are directing the Torn Curtain original Easter

production of “Resurrections” for Hope Community

Church.

Producing a video for Danny Oertli

Ministries upcoming CD release party.

taste. T O R N P A G E [Two]

[pages]

Paul

Taste is knowing the amazing way that cream and lemon zest pair with rosemary and a pinch of red pepper flakes drizzled over wild rice with herbs and butter. Taste tells you that itʼs important to clean off that shelf, no matter how metaphorical. Because some of those jarred goods are bitter and unnecessary to hold onto. Taste compels you to continue building history with old friends, not being scared to share the scary parts of your story. It might mean wearing your comfy pants because you ate too much...again...not surprisingly this satisfies much longer than the steak with wilted arugula. I hope you have or can find your own “Dinner at Brandon” evenings. Perhaps first on the menu? Companionship braised with safety on a fresh layer of love topped with honesty. Youʼre hungry arenʼt you?

please prayWe’re doing this thing

full-time now so please pray that we have more places to

serve in 2011!

Please pray that God brings us at least 2 more partners that are willing to support us with $100

per month.

We’re celebrating 10 years of holy

matrimony this May! Thank God with us and pray that the Holy Spirit continues to sustain us.

" Iʼm noticing that in thinking about food Iʼm only focusing on the delicious flavors and creamy sauces that I take pleasure in eating. Yet, when I think about how delicious our dinners with Brandon are I know that we taste bad stuff. Itʼs not the food. Itʼs the other stuff we stir, ladle and pour into bowls. Life. We each keep a private, meta-phorical pantry where the out-dated herbs are stored and the weird box of something from Wild Oats that we know is good for us but we donʼt want to cook. There are the recipes and cookbooks that didnʼt work. There too in jars that need no labels are our heartaches, our depressions, our personal failures that exist outside the kitchen where no amount of paper towels can adequately clean the mess. And though stored on high shelves, these affect our taste buds.

Weʼve been friends with Brandon for about 13 years. I remember meeting him in a townhouse on CCUʼs West Campus my sophomore year of college. I remem-ber his red hair, soft voice and a shared love of t.v.ʼs, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” " Soon after meeting we began watching and eating together, sometimes playing games but always, always after being with Brandon I left with a very full stomach. Stuffed. Sometimes uncomfortably so... it all tasted so good and I just kept eating and tasting and I didnʼt want it to end...but then I would realize how hard it was getting to breathe and I would be forced to stop. " After we graduated it seemed that we saw each other a bit less. Now maybe only once or twice a year. We would always eat. We would catch up on the last 6 months, play some games, and leave. Always wanting more. " Then a couple of years ago life pulled some switches and there was something comforting about each other & our ritual of connecting over food. Like any home cooked meal we made each other feel warm, safe and loved. There was history to our friendship. The recipe had been created, tried and tested many times and we could say with certainty that it was keeper. We had filled a recipe card with some simple but quality ingredients and stashed it safely in our  favorite cookbook.

I think about food often. Usu-ally, I wonder what to make for lunch - again. But, I enjoy reminiscing on specific fla-vors Iʼve had the pleasure of tasting. A really good piece of

sushi, pancakes at Snooze, Rigatte Primavera at Trattoria Stella, champagne risotto, and anything my dear friend Brandon cooks or bakes. 

Hungry?

Christa