“Memories….like the corners of my mind, misty colored water memories, of the way we were. Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind…..smiles we gave to one another, of the way we were….. Could it be that it was all so simple then, or has time just passed us by? Could it be if we did it all again? Tell me, would we? Could we?”
Here’s my version of that famous song:
Memories…. of the eggs and bacon fried….sizzling colored greasy memories of the way eggs were! Of the way eggs were…..of the way…….eggs….were……
Thank you, thank you very much!
Memories.
I have great memories of the days when I used to short-order cook back in the 80s. Those were the days. I was 18, fresh out of the house and school, and hadn’t cooked a day in my life, but here I was starting a new chapter in my life – cooking for hundreds of people in this brand new little restaurant/pub that my friend was opening in Royal Palm Beach, Florida.
Do you remember Publix green stamps?
Some of you might remember Publix green stamps long ago, and if you collected enough of those stamped booklets, you could trade them in for groceries or household items.
I used to trade all mine in for eggs, lots of eggs. My new job was to cook breakfast and lunch, and seeing how I had never cooked before, I needed lots of practice, and free eggs were perfect.
When one cooks that many eggs for practice, you need several people to eat the eggs. It turns out that wasn’t a problem. We lined up judges at the bar top and served eggs in various shapes, sizes, and textures – some runny, some hard, some burnt, some done just right. After all, I was practicing, and they didn’t mind free food.
Of course, we gave them toast to cover the bad eggs and some to dip in the runny eggs. I practiced over easy, medium, hard, poached, omelet style, fried, and scrambled. My big debut was coming, and I had to be ready. Cooking omelet style was fun. I made sure I stood over the drain on the floor as I flipped the egg high in the air. Should some egg miss the pan on the way down, the drain was there to catch it. That sounds disgusting now.
Are we prepared?
It’s the same thing when we approach people about Jesus and the good news of the gospel. We’re usually not well prepared to talk to people about Jesus. We need to read and study God’s word. We need to practice what we will say. It helps if we’re living the truth of God’s word in our lives. Practice what we preach. Be an example.
Sometimes we only get one shot with lost people, and we need to ensure it’s a good one.
We need to be prepared to answer their questions which require preparation and investment in God’s Word.
What preparations are you making to talk to people about Jesus? How prepared are you for the task at hand? Sadly, I have run across many people over the years who feel ill-equipped for the mission Jesus gave us in Matthew 28. Many people have never had that conversation with another person. Some want to, but they don’t have the courage or confidence.
Let’s pray.
Lord, thank you for another day of life. Thank you for the blessing of family and friends, the sky, and the sun. Lord, thank you for being with us all the time. We thank you for who you are to us and what a relationship with you means. We love you. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Being a short-order cook was an experience I’ll never forget. We’ll dive deeper into my memories of being a short-order cook. There are some fun memories for sure.
Blessings,
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