Tag Archives: Dinner

Chapter-a-Day

The Most Amazing Dinner

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Table Set for ValentinesHere I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

A few years ago a friend came over for dinner and made an interesting observation. “You guys are the only people I know who actually use their dining room regularly, even with your kids.” It’s true. Of course, part of that reality is due to the size of our house, which is small and affords little space other than the dining room for a group of people to eat. The point our friend was making, however, was that we attempted to make time and space for real meals around the dining room table. The television is turned off, though dinner music is usually on. It is quite normal for dinner conversations at our house to go on for hours.

As I read through this morning’s chapter, I came upon the verse above, which was one of the first verses I memorized when I was a kid. The voice is that of Jesus, who is dictating the message to the seven churches through John. The door of which he speaks is the door of the heart. When a person spiritually hears Jesus knocking on the door of his or her heart and opens their heart to invite Him in, Jesus enters and indwells that person.

Here’s where the perception goes wrong for so many people. When Jesus enters a persons heart, the result is an amazing spiritual feast complete with the most intense and challenging dinner conversation you’ve ever experienced. There is give and take. Relationship is established. Life flows like wine. You are constantly challenged and forever changed by the experience. And I have also found that communing with Jesus is like the many times that we and our guests have looked at our watches and discovered that it’s well after midnight and we’ve been at the table for hours. Time flies. It has been 33 years since I invited Jesus into my heart and life, and the spiritual feast is just starting to get really intense.

I love great meals with great friends, great food, great wine, and great conversation that goes on for hours. One of the reasons I love it so much is because it is a shadow and a taste of the spiritual meal I have been enjoying with Jesus for over three decades.

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Wayfarer's Journal

A Guy’s Getaway

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Things look different in Winter.
With the house at 42 degrees, Matthew and I were wearing our coats for a few hours!
Chef Matthew preparing the birds.
Snapped this during my quiet time. The bareness of winter.
Lunch time!
Matthew and Paul prepping lunch.
Lots of casual conversation.
Chadwicke graciously waiting for the other carnivores to finish making their lunch.
“What’s scary is how little food came back home with us,” he said as he loosened his belt by two notches.
The primary activity of the weekend: great conversation over good food.
Movie time (no one fell asleep!).
Watching Captain Phillips.
The photographer gets in on a shot.
You disover things about people on weekends like this: Paul and his college buddies once owned the world record for playing pool for 10 ten days straight.
Rack ’em up, Matthew.
Chad’s halo helped. He came through with a couple of miraculous shots.
Paul Vander Hart is surely smiling down, knowing the pool table he made for the family years ago is still being used (warps and all).
Prepping the evening surf and turf feast.
Dinner!
Dinner conversation
The requisite group shot.

For the past four years I’ve talked about and desired to have a winter guy’s getaway to the lake. Even though there is relatively little to do on the lake, the opportunity to get out of Dodge and have a little of R&R with the boys is a good plan. This year I was finally able to pull the trigger and make it happen.

Matthew and I headed down late in the day on Thursday. The thermostat at the Playhouse is set on 40 degrees during the winter while we’re not there and I knew that it would take a while to warm up the house. In addition, there were beds that needed to be made, supplies to buy, and you never know what problems you might encounter after three months. The thermometer inside the house read 42 degrees when we arrived, but the thermostat’s LCD display was blank and wouldn’t come up. I hit the button that should kick on the furnace and the fan kicked in, but I couldn’t get the display to work.

Matthew and I headed to the grocery store to pick up our list and figured we’d see if things were warming up by the time we got back. It was still 42 degrees when we returned, so I pulled the thermostat apart, changed the batteries, tried to warm it up with a hair dryer in case the liquid crystal display was frozen, and prayed. After about 15 minutes of wrangling the display suddenly worked and we were able to get the furnace working. Even then, it was a chilly few hours waiting for the house to warm up.

Friday was spent in preparing for Paul and Chad’s arrival. We also went into Osage to get a new thermostat and caught a matinee showing of “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.” After returning to the Playhouse we threw two whole bbq rubbed chickens on the grill with some hickory smoke. By the time Paul and Chad arrived, we had a huge spread ready for them. The theme of the evening was “Who am I?” Dinner conversation around the table went until about 10:30-11:00 p.m. before we moved to the more comfortable living room. It was interesting as the conversation revolved around the men who were (or were not) mentors for us that shaped who we’ve become. It was almost 1:00 a.m. before we called it a night.

Saturday morning we had breakfast together and immediately the conversation from previous night launched into further give and take. About mid-morning we called a halt and went into a few hours of individual quiet time. I took my camera outside and walked down the shoreline, spending some time in prayer and taking a few pictures of the winter landscape. We reconnected for lunch and then sat down to watch “Captain Phillips” on DVD and ended up downstairs playing eight-ball on pool table Wendy’s grandpa made.

Dinner on Saturday evening was surf and turf. We had salmon and steak on the grill (mesquite smoke this time). The theme of conversation on Saturday was “Where am I?” and we each shared where we find ourselves in the journey and what are some of the questions, concerns, joys, and dreams with our current waypoint. Once again the conversation went into the late hours before we called it a night.

Sunday morning came early and we fixed one last big meal as we packed up. The conversation over breakfast was “Where am I going?” and we shared ways that we could pray for and encourage one another as we returned home. We switched things around for the return trip and Paul rode with me, allowing us the opportunity to connect during the drive.

Looking back, it was everything I wanted the weekend to be. Relaxing with a handful of men, eating well, having fun, watching good movies, and having great conversation as we share the journey together. I think this might be the beginning of a tradition.

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A Weekend of Celebration

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The past couple of years it seems that celebrations come in bunches. Last summer we celebrated Madison’s graduation from NLSW on the same day that Wendy’s sister Becky got married. This past weekend was another double billing as Wendy and I celebrated my birthday and along with Taylor’s graduation (Summa Cum Laude, no less) from Grandview University.

Work before pleasure. I had a quarterly Board Meeting for work on Friday, so Wendy accompanied me and ran errands in Des Moines while I got through the Board Meeting. We ran a few more errands in the afternoon and did a little shopping in the later afternoon before meeting our friends Joel and Suzy for dinner at Noah’s .

Wendy and I had a room at the Savery which had a quiet little bar in the lobby. Taylor got off work at Mercy Hospital at 9:00 p.m. and joined us for a night cap. The three of us enjoyed conversation over drinks until after the place shut down at midnight. We’re so proud of our girl, and it was nice just to sit and chat for a few hours. Taylor headed home and we headed to our room.

I was hoping to go to the Downtown Farmer’s Market on Saturday, but we were a week early. The Market doesn’t start until May 4. So, we took our time getting going on Saturday morning and headed to the East Village. We’ve been working on a plan for updating Vander Well Manor, so we stopped and worked on some particulars with the folks at Builders Kitchen. We then enjoyed a gorgeous spring morning walking around the East Village. We had our first experience at Zombie Burger (which we loved) and then headed to Hy-Vee Hall to watch Taylor graduate.

Grandpa Dean, Grandma Jeanne, Wendy and I left the ceremony after seeing Taylor get her diploma. We avoided the crowds and stopped at Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up before heading over to Eric and Cindy Boeyinks’ for Taylor’s reception. We had a great time chatting with the Boeyink clan and eating some tasty treats. Wendy and I headed home to watch the Cub’s beat Miami and to call it an early night.

Tonight we continue a celebratory weekend on this amazingly, beautiful spring afternoon. We’re headed to Matthew’s for a turkey barbecue along with the VL’s. Wendy made me my favorite peanut butter chocolate chunk cheesecake for my birthday which we’ll enjoy after dinner! 🙂

Wayfarer's Journal

Valentine’s Weekend 2013

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Table Set for ValentinesWith my being in the throes of rehearsal for Ah, Wilderness!, the Valentine’s plans had to flex this year. I was actually scheduled in rehearsal on Valentine’s Day and so Wendy and I decided to delay any Valentine’s plans until my next free evening which was Saturday. Wendy made plans to run to Des Moines on the afternoon of Valentine’s Day and any thought of celebrating on that day were scuttled.

Then, at the last minute, my rehearsal time was pushed back and a window of opportunity opened. So, while Wendy was in Des Moines I threw together one of our favorite crock-pot recipes, set the table, got out a nice bottle of wine and surprised her with an impromptu dinner together which was wonderful.

We still celebrated on Saturday with Chad and Shay, who came over for a steak dinner here at Vander Well Manor. It was one of those dinners that had us eating, drinking, talking and laughing at the table for four hours before someone made the mistake of looking at their watch and realizing how late it was. I love those kind of dinners! 😉

Chapter-a-Day

The Good Stuff

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Wine decanter and glasses.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chapter-a-Day 1 Corinthians 6

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

Wendy and I like to entertain. We don’t do it as often as we’d like and, while we don’t go to extremes, there are evenings when we choose to get out “the good stuff.” Paper napkins are replaced by cloth. Plates are put on gold chargers. Because we are going to bring out the good wine, the nice wine glasses are placed on the table along with a special wine decanter for pouring, aerating and serving the wine. We recognize that our guests are honored when we make the effort to break out “the good stuff” for our dinner together.

Let me be honest. The verses above have haunted me for most of my journey. I have never been uber athletic. Running marathons, competing in triathlons, or getting involved in recreational athletics have never held much appeal for me. Okay, they’ve never held any appeal for me whatsoever. Like most Americans, I like to eat. While I have given regular and serious thought to my diet and to exercise (e.g. I think about eating better, I think about exercising, I contemplate the benefits of doing so), an honest audit of my behavior over time would reveal that I have had little or no discipline in this area. This past year has been one of two periods of my life in which I’ve dropped some serious weight. And yet, the verses still haunt me.

God’s Message clearly teaches that following Jesus means inviting Him into our hearts and our lives. There is something simple and mystical yet powerfully in the act of sincerely saying to Jesus “Come into my heart. Come into my life. Save me.” Elsewhere in God’s Message, Jesus says:

“Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.” [emphasis added] Revelation 3:20 (MSG)

The night Jesus gave Himself up for us, He took wine and blessed it and said, “this is my blood.” When I read these verses from today’s chapter, what haunts me is this: when Jesus is invited into our hearts and our lives, our very own bodies become the decanter for creation’s most precious wine. Yet, the way I’ve treated my body most of my life is no different than welcoming my most honored guest and His gift of precious wine by grabbing a dirty, used styrofoam cup off the counter and telling Him to “fill ‘er up.”

Lord, have mercy on me.

Wayfarer's Journal

Easter 2012

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Panorama of our basement walls covered in protective waterproof sheeting. Sump pump can be seen along with edge of a pile of our stuff on the left.

I feel like I haven’t posted much but my chapter-a-day for a while. To be honest, it’s been a little crazy around the Vander Well household. We’re experiencing the busiest season of work we’ve had in several years (that’s a good thing) and trying to keep up. We were crazy busy with the play. And then, a construction crew showed up to accomplish a long due project of waterproofing our basement which necessitated us moving everything in our basement into piles in the center of the room, taking anything off the exterior walls (like paneling, insulation, etc. Last week was phase one and it went really well, but now we have everything in piles that has to be put back, and our entire house is covered in a thin layer of concrete dust from the jack hammering and cement pouring, etc. More of that to come in two weeks when phase two shores up the foundation.

Easter Worship from my camera perch at the back of the sanctuary.

Easter services at our church were great. Wendy and I once again helped out on the tech crew. Easter worship at our church is actually a bit of a technological challenge. We have people in two different rooms. Half the worship band is on one stage in the sanctuary and the other half of the band is on the stage in the auditorium on the other side of the building. So, from my camera in the sanctuary I could hear the lead guitar and bass player, but they were actually playing from another room. The rhythm guitar and keyboard were on stage in front of me, but the folks in the auditorium couldn’t see them other than the video feeds going back and forth. Everything is simulcast between the two rooms. For anybody who’s an audio-video geek it’s a pretty cool thing to be part of and it makes for an interesting experience to pull it off.

L-R: Clay, Tay, Emma, Wendy, Jody, Scott, Grandpa Dean, Grandma Jeanne

After worship Wendy and I headed to Des Moines for Easter dinner with my family. It was blissfully low key feast this year. Tay and Clay were there, though we missed Maddy Kate. We got to see her when I called her with FaceTime and she got to see everyone. She got a little taste of home by having Easter dinner with Brett and Micki Strait and the Diehls who just moved to Colorado Springs from Pella. It was nephew Sol’s birthday, so a little birthday cake and pie were in order after dinner.

In the evening we headed downtown to celebrate two more birthdays. Wendy’s friends Shay and Sarah are both celebrating birthdays so we gathered with friends at Django for a wonderful meal and conversation.

It was a wonderful Easter Sunday. The tulips here in Pella are in full bloom about a month earlier than normal. The cloudless, perfect sunny Easter Sunday could not have been more beautiful.

Wayfarer's Journal

Tom’s 30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 2

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Mr. Shimoni's table
Image by Dennis Wong via Flickr

If you could have an elegant dinner along with anyone presently alive, whether you know them or not, who would you want it to be?

Of course, Wendy is on the top of my list for elegant dinners along with my close circle of family and friends, but what interests me about this question is the thought of those I don’t know with whom I would like to dine. The question also says “anyone” so I’m going to take liberty to name a few people with whom I would love to share an elegant dinner:

Queen Elizabeth – I think she’d be a fascinating conversation, and she’s the Queen
Pope Benedict – Would love the conversations of faith and life, seems a fascinating man
Sir Anthony Hopkins – great actor, would love the stories he could tell
Dame Judi Dench – ditto
Bono – love his rock star/world citizen/believer mystique
Leonardo diCaprio – great actor and I imagine an interesting person with heart
Tom Hanks – ditto
Simon Schama – Love his take on art and history, would love to pick his brain
Craig Ferguson – Would like to meet the man behind the curtain of jokes
Bill Hybels – Would love to ask him about his journey
Paul Johnson – My favorite historian, breadth of conversation would be amazing

Okay, so it’s a long list. But, there are a lot of people I would love to know and to learn from and to share a long, elegant dinner conversation.

How about you? Who is on your list? Feel free to share it in a comment to this post!

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 2 Kings 6

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2008 12 31 New Years Eve Dinner Party LR "Not on your life!" said Elisha. "You didn't lift a hand to capture them, and now you're going to kill them? No sir, make a feast for them and send them back to their master."

So he prepared a huge feast for them. After they ate and drank their fill he dismissed them. Then they returned home to their master. The raiding bands of Aram didn't bother Israel anymore.
2 Kings 6:22-23 (MSG)

We like using our dining room. Necessity is a good part of the appeal. Our quaint little house does not have a kitchen big enough for a kitchen table, a bar, or a breakfast nook where many families snarf down their meals on the fly. So, we use the formal dining room a lot. We sit around the "good table." We like setting it nicely for family, friends and guests. You feel in less of a hurry when the meal is an event. You take more time. You eat a second helping. The conversation goes a little deeper.

There is something about the gift of hospitality that can soften the hard hearted. Sharing a good meal together eases tension, fosters conversation and deepens relationship.

Killing the Aramean raiding party would have only served to escalate the violence and tension between Israel and Aram. Elisha's solution was a good one. Treat them like an honored guest. Have a feast. Sit down over choice food and break out the good wine. Talk, laugh, and raise a glass together. You're less likely to kill the person with whom you shared a great meal.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Exodus 13

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Hands clasped in prayer. "Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you tell him, 'God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. Exodus 13:13 (MSG)

When I was a child, our family had a few rituals. At dinner, we held hands and my father prayed for the meal. We, as children, then said a Dutch prayer our grandparents taught us. As I grew, I began to understand the depth of the simple, daily act. Holding hands not only served to keep young children from grabbing at the food, but created a unified circle of family holding each other hands. Touching. Clasping. The individual was part of a whole that was greater than himself/herself. Our father praying silently established his spiritual leadership and his prayer was a humble reminder that even dad recognized he was under a higher authority. The Dutch prayer spoke of history, of family, of the reality that our daily journey is part of a larger story.

God is a God of metaphor. The Passover meal represented the story of deliverance from Egypt. The Passover meal became Communion which represents the sacrifice of Jesus. Baptism metaphorically speaks of a person being buried in the likeness of Jesus' death, raised in the likeness of Jesus' resurrection, our sins washed away. Ritual, on a grand scale and on a daily basis, teaches us Truth with a depth of meaning that mere lecture or conversation can't reach.

I sit today and think about our daughters. One is getting married in a few weeks. The other is going to be graduating from high school in a few months. Have I instilled metaphors and simple ritual that will still resonate in their hearts when they have children of their own?

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and soldiers media center

Facebook readers: Spacing and formatting issues result in the auto import from the original blog post. My apologies to all English teacher types.