The Waffle and the Transfiguration

“This is awesome! This is amazing! I need to slow down because I just don’t want this to end!” These are not words I overheard while on some exotic vacation—no, I overheard this while eating breakfast at church a few weeks ago. Apparently the waffle with the creamy, buttery pecan sauce was beyond delicious. At the time, I laughed because my friend Linda does not normally express herself about anything with that much drama! In fact, I started teasing her that perhaps she should go home and journal about her feelings and let some of that emotion out.

So last Sunday my pastor preached a sermon about Jesus taking Peter, James and John up on the mountain where they all had a phenomenal religious experience, complete with a visit from Moses and Elijah. Pastor Chip compared Peter’s desire to stay, with our own desires to spiritually stay in those places where we felt heightened emotion and closeness to God. He even used the phrase, “it’s so good, and you never want it to end.”

All I could think about was Linda and the waffle. I wished that we could have started the sermon with Linda giving the “waffle testimony.” It would have started something like this: “So one time . . . I was eating this waffle . . . and it was so delicious . . .” She has assured me that I could never have persuaded her to do it, but every time I see her I still think about it and we laugh about the story that could have been told.

I continue to think about and be challenged by those mountaintop experiences and how they’re really not a bad thing—in fact they can be life-changing. There are those moments that come out of nowhere, catch you off-guard, bring out emotions that you didn’t even know existed, and then they’re gone with little chance of bringing them back. But are they really over?

I remember one of those moments that happened when I was in high school. Since I went to a Christian high school, you might expect that I was surrounded by people who spoke openly about deep and important things and whose priority it was to learn everything we could about God. That really wasn’t the case—we were pretty typical high school kids. But, we did have to go to chapel twice a week (where we didn’t always behave well).

On one particular day we had an “exchange chapel” from another Christian school and heard some students tell us their own stories of faith. I don’t even remember those students—their stories don’t stand out in my mind, but when the opportunity was given for us to share, I do remember the first person from my school that went to the microphone and it changed everything. Something happened in the gym that day that no one could explain. Other students came forward, stories were told, guitars appeared and spontaneous, praying, crying and singing erupted. Suddenly we were able to share from our hearts our struggles and our joys. It was emotional.

Our teachers and principal were smart that day. They cancelled class and let us stay on the mountain for a while. It was a day that most of us have not forgotten. When we came down that afternoon and went home, reality hit as it always does. Some parents questioned the sincerity of such an emotionally charged event. Other wonderful adults helped us set up an evening event where we sang and studied the Bible. The group was large at first and then slowly shrunk down to a faithful few.

It wasn’t long before that mountaintop became a distant memory. We could never recapture it even if we wanted to. But as I look back, it was the well-timed event that sent me off in the right direction. I joined my church, signed up for a mission trip, and continued to spend time with friends that I knew would encourage me to follow Jesus. It’s the defining moment of my faith—when I publically claimed what I had privately believed. And my guess is that I’m not the only one. Forty-some years later, I’m pretty sure that the “exchange chapel revival” is also the defining moment for many of my classmates.

We can’t stay on the mountain, but we can’t downplay the importance of those times. Jesus knew what his disciples were facing in the near future. He knew they needed that moment. He knew what my high school classmates and I would be facing in the future and that we would need our moment too. And as for my friend Linda . . . I think He just wanted her to enjoy that really good waffle.

Jesus, Bev and Ralph Lauren

It was one of those “surprise” snowstorm kind of days—you know, the kind where the snow comes down in huge flakes and builds up like heavy cement on the ground? We had cancelled all activities at the church and I was alone in my office when I heard their voices. I immediately wished that I had already left for the day, or at best had locked up so that I didn’t have to deal with folks who still thought we had our normal Wednesday night activities. I curiously I went into the hallway to see who had braved the winter evening and there stood a couple that I had met while working at our church’s breakfast club last Friday morning. We had given them a coupon for a free dinner during our all-church Wednesday evening activities.
They were smiling, happy and delighted to be inside the warm building, even though the sign on the door and the empty parking lot told them there would be no meal served. Apparently the county transit bus has rules that people may not have a round trip ride without getting off the bus once, so the driver had insisted that they needed to get off and they would be picked up “later.” (Question to self: Do I wish to let the county know that this makes no sense?) I’m sure they have their rules for a reason, but I was immediately relieved that I had left the building unlocked.
We had to call the county back and let them know that a “pick-up” was necessary and they told us they’d be back in thirty to forty minutes—say what? Oh well, I realized that I was going to stay a little while longer. The couple was unperturbed.
Let me just say now, that one of our wonderful kitchen women had already started on the Wednesday night meal and, when we decided to cancel, she graciously finished her task and divided it amongst staff people who were delighted to take shepherd’s pie and salad home. I had my own stash in the refrigerator.
As I visited with the gentleman, I learned facts that turned them from strangers into Jesus himself. While the woman tried on all of the clothes that were hanging in the lost and found to see if anything fit, the gentleman told me about their living situation in a camper where they had no running water. An electric heater and frying pan were their luxuries. I know exactly where they live and it broke my heart. He also told me that he normally earns enough money in the fall to make it through the winter, but he had been hospitalized with spinal meningitis and had been unable to work at all. He was grateful to have a place to live and that his landlord allowed them to keep their dog.
Okay, so here’s the part where I gave them my meal. Can you believe I was still a little sad to give it up? Come on, Bev’s shepherd’s pie is pretty sweet and I could already taste the spinach salad! Ironically my pastor and I had just been talking about the Fruits of the Spirit and I mentioned that self-control was probably the most difficult for me—I even mentioned food. Dang—I hate when that happens!
So my meal was gone and I was starting to be okay with it. The woman, who had been wandering around the church made her way into the choir room and began to play the piano—no song or anything, just messing around with scales. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had left a pair of jeans in there for one of the choir members to fix for me. I envisioned her coming out with them in her hand, or even wearing them and telling me how badly she needed them. Come on God, not my best jeans! They're Ralph Lauren's from Macy’s and they weren’t even on sale! Thankfully, she didn’t ask, but I’ll never put them on without thinking about her.
After more conversation, a little bit of snow-shoveling from the woman who couldn’t sit still, and a total heart re-adjustment for me, the bus arrived. I went home a different person. I ate cheese and crackers and left-over pork loin for dinner. It was delicious and I was grateful!