Little Encouragements Along The Way

So this blog series began two Sundays ago with me taking a stroll in the sun before church began.

I began the stroll a meat-eater and finished it a vegetarian.

But let's face it. I'm only eight days into this experiment. Time will tell if I have the resolve to hold to the decision.

So it was encouraging to get what I took to be a nod of approval from the Lord in His sanctuary.

The service began, as always, with a few hymns. One of them turned out to be Amazing Grace. I can't recall when we last sang it in church. Six months ago? A year? Well ain't that just a co-inky dinky?

But it gets better.

The sermon was titled, Ruling With Christ in Heaven and on Earth — which doesn't exactly immediately make you think of vegetarianism unless it's already on your mind. However the pastor spoke about our calling as Christians to care for the earth, and read these verses aloud:

Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

    So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Sound familiar? They did to me. They were the very verses I had just been noodling over in the park a few minutes earlier.

And then the coup de grâce...

During the service a PowerPoint image went up on screen with details on an upcoming church barbecue. It included a picture of a grill loaded with chicken, hot dogs and burgers, all looking quite tasty.

I'm trying (and failing) to recall the last time I saw cooked meat up on screen during a church service.

Ah, well. One thing is clear. If if I hold fast to this decision, it won't be on account of the support I get from fellow churchgoers, friends or family. They're all enjoying the meat.

Now to be fair, I should note that after I shared my decision with my oldest son, he didn't disparage me. Not a bit. He simply asked, "When we have our Father's Day barbecue, can I have your steak?"

Ah, well. But a very encouraging thought struck me later.

To be continued...