FREE FOOD!

At any college event, what is the one thing that gets students to come out?

Answer: FREE FOOD!

My biggest expense since starting ministry at Eastern CT State University has not been Bibles, nor has it been Topical Memory Systems, nor other spiritual resources. It has been food.

Last spring when I led a Seeker Study for spiritually curious college students, I bought them free pizza and soda every single week. I remembered those evenings when I walked into the Student Center with those pizzas, passerby students would look at me and say, "OOH! Pizza!"

Last fall when we had a men's run and Bible Study, we had it over delicious breakfast at a local restaurant in Willimantic called That Breakfast Place. To this day they still fondly remember those times there.

Mark, a student athlete at ECSU who I've been meeting up with came up and asked me, "Hey Steve, we should go out to Friendly's again. I really enjoyed it!"

One of the best ways I've found to bless a college student is buy them a meal. After all, the average student nowadays usually doesn't make much money. They can be too buried in academics and extra-curricular activities to hold even a basic part-time job to put food on their tables. They also may only have enough cooking skills and materials to make Ramen noodles, Easy Mac, or if they're really fancy....pasta. And yes, those things do get old. Very old.

It's a humbling thing as well to get treated to a meal. It makes you feel special. At times when I've had meetings with people and they snatch the bill to pay for it, I feel honored and humbled. One of the things I did for some new freshmen this past fall was buy them all

lunch at Friendly's. They appreciated it so much and thanked me when I offered to pay for them. Jesus bought his disciples a meal for their last supper together by pre-arranging a facility and various types of food for eating. He did this not only to show them the full meaning of the Passover meal, but also because He loved them and wanted to interact with them over a meal.

What is even more meaningful to that someone is sharing that same meal with them. People who eat together share a common bond: their food! There is also a well-known verse in the Bible about Jesus eating a meal with us when we invite Him into our hearts: "Here 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 him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). What an amazing picture to think about: the all-powerful God of the universe wanting to come into us not just to change us, but to interact with us over a meal!

Meals in Jesus' time were eaten slowly and were designed to be not just times of eating, but of socializing. I have a big reputation of being a slow eater, and I'm proud of it! This is because I like to enjoy the food and also enjoy the company I'm eating with. Sharing a meal with someone shows that you're looking at them as an equal and meeting them on their level. Plus if the conversation isn't going that deep, you can at least talk about how good the food is!

I enjoy sharing a meal with other people. I also find that even if I never eat with other people, I find that they love engaging me about food! "Hey Steve, have you ever been to this restaurant? Dude, you've gotta go there. You'll love it!" Food is one of the best conversation starters. If you can't engage someone about movies, music, or politics, try breaking the ice by talking about food!

So to those who financially support me and this ministry to ECSU, this is the biggest way that you have been a blessing to students. Thank you very much for your partnership!

__________________________________________________________________

Picture 1: Turkey Club Supermelts from Friendly's. That student Mark I talked about ordered two of them one time when we ate at Friendly's. It was just after Track Practice and he was starving. He ate both of them before I finished my one melt!

Picture 2: That Breakfast Place, the local restaurant in Willimantic we ate out at for our Men's Bible Study every Saturday morning last semester. Those people served we eight sweaty, smelly guys very well!