Being a Good Samaritan

About a month ago I was approached by a family friend to write an article for the Good Samaritan Food Bank's monthly newsletter. The Good Samaritan Food Bank is a division of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association.   You know at first of course I thought, I'm sure I don't have time to do that.  And honestly, some days I feel like I'm out of words.  (Hard to believe for me, I know you're thinking it.)  Anyway, my friend asked me to pray about it and I promised him I would.  And I did.  Like so many things, God reminded me that you make time for the things you want to do.  Isn't that the truth?  I sure make time to eat lunch with a friend, read a book or attend various events.   So obviously, that wasn't a viable reason.   I also knew that this would be a different type of writing,  I'll call it "writing with a divine purpose."  You see this would give me an opportunity to share my faith.  The newsletter will be distributed to over 300 families a week who are served by the food bank.  It will also go to supporters of the program.

I had a chance to visit the facility on McEver Road a few weeks ago and wow, I was impressed.  It never ceases to amaze the incredible work folks do on a daily basis to serve the needs of others.  
I grabbed this off of their website as an explanation of their mission:
"The Food Bank ministers to approximately 300 people each week.  There is a nondiscriminatory policy.  Anyone with a verifiable need may be helped.  All clients register by completing an application form and are then interviewed by a counselor to assess their actual life needs.  Counselors share Christ and pray with every client.  Individuals who qualify receive a box of food which includes canned fruits, vegetables, soups, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, pasta, beans, rice, macaroni and cheese, tuna, lunch meat, sausage and bacon.  They also received breads, desserts, and fresh vegetables and fruits.  

Just in case you didn't catch it, counselors share Christ and pray with every client.  The Good Samaritan Food Bank is meeting a physical need all the while sharing the gospel of Jesus.  Y'all this is a very good thing. 

All of this to say, I am honored to be just a small part of this program.  Like I said, I will be writing an article for the newsletter and sharing a recipe or two.  Of course, the recipes will be using the parameters of the food that they receive. 

So if you're interested here is my first submission. 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good …” Psalm 34:8

God is so good.  Goodness is His nature.  The only way to know His nature is to fully experience Him.   We can’t experience Him from afar; we need to get close and personal to be fully aware of God’s extraordinary goodness. The way of life that God has called us to lead, through his Word, is something we taste as we live it.  To experience every aspect of God’s way of life is to taste it.  And it is good.  

Taste is one of the senses God gave us, along with sight, touch, smell and hearing.  God granted human senses to help with our understanding of earthly existence.  We cannot fully perceive the sweetness of honey, for example, until we taste it.  We cannot understand the sweetness of our Savior until we delve into a “taste” of Him. 

Have you ever tasted something so good that you thought you would never forget it?  Think about it for a minute.  Was it a chocolate dessert … maybe a bowl of chicken and dumplings … a sweet potato casserole?   You probably wanted to savor that taste as long as possible. Maybe you closed your eyes just to take in all of the flavors.  Maybe you exclaimed a big ole “yummmm” just to confirm to others your feelings.   That’s the way with God.  His goodness is full of moments to savor.

 God gave us food for our enjoyment.  He could have chosen to give us a bowl of manna every morning as He did with the Israelites in the desert to meet our physical need for food.   However, he chose to shower us to overflowing with all kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables and breads.  What a wonderful God who would give us way more than we actually need.  But isn’t that the way He is in all things, giving us more than we actually need?  God shows us His love in so many ways but none more than His provision.  He can provide for all of our needs, physical and spiritual.  God came as a baby in a manger to save us from our sins so that we may have eternal life.    Wow – what a Savior!

 The following two recipes appeal to both our savory and sweet sense of taste.  This Crunchy Beef Casserole is an easy “one pot wonder” for a family dinner.  The Fabulous Fruit Salad is a great mix of flavors using fruit, nuts and yogurt.   Quick and tasty! So taste and see ….

 Crunchy Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups pasta (can use elbow macaroni, corkscrew or any kind of small noodle)

1 pound ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 can fried onion rings

Directions:

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse and drain.

3.       Brown the ground beef and drain the fat.

4.       Combine the pasta, beef, soup, cheese and tomatoes.  Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. 

5.       Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and top with fried onion rings and bake 5 minutes longer. 

Fabulous Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 red delicious apple, cored and peeled

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and peeled

2 small cans or 1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

2 stalks celery chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 (8-ounce) container nonfat lemon yogurt

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Chill at least 2 hours and serve cold.