Better Than Fried Chicken

I have a new story for Peanut Butter & Grace up on their website.  I encourage you to check it out.  Also, please say a prayer for my son, John, who makes his First Holy Communion this Sunday, that he always want to be as close to Jesus as he can get. 

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi!

***

I was scanning my bag of carrots in the grocery store self-checkout lane when I heard the lady behind me say loudly and enthusiastically, “You should come to our church!”

The words caught my attention, and I looked up to see her chatting with another woman who was obviously a friend of hers.  Their conversation went on.

“Bring your family.  We meet at the park just up the road.  It’s really wonderful, AND WE HAVE FOOD!”

I finished bagging my groceries and headed out the door, but as I loaded my bags into the back of my SUV, the conversation between these two ladies kept playing in my head.  Church?  In a park? Outside? With food?  I was intrigued.  I imagined young families like mine, gathered for prayer and fellowship in the picnic shelter; afterwards, the ladies would be enjoying friendly conversation while the men flipped burgers and played horseshoes and the children played in the playground.  Prayer plus play.  Such a winning combination, I thought.   And the food.  Oh yes, the food.  I’ve been to enough Appalachian potlucks to know what that would be like.  Heavenly.  Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, biscuits and gravy, deviled eggs and homemade potato salad.  Watermelon, fruit salad, and BBQ potato chips. Three kinds of cobbler, some kind of whipped-topping dessert, lemonade and sweet tea.  I could imagine it all.  {Read the rest here...}