One of my new, wonderful friends in Santa Barbara, Jenna, sent me an email a little over a month ago alerting me to this conference.  I was SO excited about an event where Christians were talking about food issues, because seeing that combo come together has been a passion of mine for a number of years now.  I also happen to think gluttony is the last acceptable sin in the church (at the cost of oppressing the ‘least of these’) and, as a whole, we Christians are getting schooled on creation-care by our hippy counterparts.   So it was a real encouragement to hear that the Vision Forum was tackling this mighty subject.

So within 3 days from receiving the email, God confirmed that I was to go by providing a thumbs up from the hubs and the financial means!  (Thanks to Papa Billy for the frequent flyer miles, Wayne and Nanne Alvarez for their generous Texan hospitality, an anonymous donor, and birthday money!)  So I have just returned from San Antonio after an interesting and incredible experience, with a full head and heart.  Many of you who knew I was going have asked for details, so in this post I will share my impressions, a review, and a list of tantalizing topics to come.

The San Antonio River Walk

Let’s just start with a little Texas shout-out.  I’ve only had the pleasure of going to this “state that had the audacity to become a separate country” a few times and the bigness, pride, and heat are always apparent.  I saw a bumper sticker that says it all, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!”  And San Antonio, the lesser known of the big Texas cities, had an extremely charming downtown area including the oasis-y River Walk.

The Alamo

I also visited The Alamo and feel better now that my understanding of this part of history comes from more than just Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

Though I thought the conference might draw some food bloggers and a wider variety of Christians, I should have expected that Vision Forum’s target audience (over 1,500 people) was large, conservative Christian homeschooling families.  I was the only woman wearing shorts, one of two people taking notes on a laptop, and I even saw some head coverings.  But, much like the Amish, they have their favorite modern trinkets and I’ve never seen such tricked-out double strollers in my life!  I will also say that, over all, they were very kind (got lots of smiles directed at my pregnant belly) and I was most impressed by the well-behaved, seemingly-secure, very helpful children (of all ages.)

A few of them performed musical numbers for the crowd and they were very gifted singers and musicians.  If you’ve never heard a dueling banjo performance, write it on your bucket list pronto.  I still have some questions about the Dominion Mandate and Quiverfull followers, but overall, came away appreciating their hearts toward God and respecting their way of life.

And I must give a little shout out to my conference buddy, Delia, who was not only the epitome of Texas hospitality but also an incredible baker.  She won first place in the naturally sweetened pie contest!  (And I can confirm that the cinnamon-kissed crust and the fresh picked peaches sweetened with honey combined for a blue ribbon winner in my book!)

And the winner is…

Now to the “meat” of the post…  My head and heart (and stomach) are full.  It was encouraging to be in a room full of Christians talking about issues that matter.  I was actually emotional after Joel Salatin’s first talk because he put into words the way I have felt for a long time.  He feels like he has each foot in 2 different worlds (generally speaking):  Great, loving Christian friends who honestly don’t think that food matters to God and therefore miss seeing any personal or global consequences, and friends who do think food issues matter and try to make wise choices accordingly but don’t acknowledge or a have a relationship with God.  I’ve always felt that I am supposed to be a bridge builder between these two (again, very generalized) groups and provide opportunities for us to learn from, rather than judge, one another.

So with that in mind, here’s what I’ve got cooked up for the next few weeks:  A series of posts summarizing some of my favorite points in the food debate including resources for further learning.  It will look a little something like this:

• Can We Feed the World Sustainably?  (Including how food and science do not make great bed fellows.) Why not start with an easy one, eh?

• Food and the Government a.k.a “FREEDOM!!!”  (Including a quote from a liberal democrat saying, “I had no idea that the government could be cruel and people could be honest!”)

• Interesting Events on the Food History Timeline – Past is prologue, people.

• Food According to the Bible:  Feasts, Heresies and How the Church Can Respond – This is gonna hurt a li’l bit…but it’s worth it.

• Redeeming the Earth:  The Value of Farming (God’s Way) – I guarantee that you will be SO impressed with our Creator after this one…

• Food Fight:  Who Are Our Allies?  “If you want to be understood, first you must understand.”

• How Then Shall We Eat?  No stringent rules here, just lots of opportunities to glorify and appreciate God.

• Sabbath, Hospitality and the Family Table – GREAT ideas that celebrate God, food, celebration, rest, and relationships.

I reserve the right to change things as I go along and disclaim right now that very few of the coming ideas are original to me.  I’m not a farmer or a theologian or a chef or a Republican or a Democrat, just a girl who is passionate about glorifying God in ALL things and gifted at sharing these awesome ideas with others.  I also hope that the non-God-oriented readers can stick with me as I mean you no harm and want to learn from you as well.  Truth is truth no matter who is promoting it.

I hope that, overall, these ideas will speak to those who need and want to hear them.  We can all afford to grow and each of us only has to start where we are.  

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being “totally turned off” and 10 being “I’m so excited!”), how do you feel about this upcoming topic series?