Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:32-35

Friday after lunch Rebekah and I followed through on the final gift of my “birthday week” by heading into Logan’s Trading Company to select the spring herb garden my parents had planned as my gift from them.

However, because I’m a cook and not a gardener, Rebekah not only came along to make sure I was picking healthy plants, but she took care of potting them once we got home. So now, if all goes well, the spring and summer flavors in my kitchen will be all the richer.

I chose sweet basil, English thyme, Italian oregano, three sage plants (sage, purple sage, and tricolor sage), Italian parsley, dill, and rosemary. I’m very excited, because fresh ingredients make all the difference, and – well – we all know how much I love to eat.

Fact is – and the success of the “Farm to Table” restaurant movement will confirm this – what makes great food great is often as simple as the quality of the essential ingredients.

In my book “Ten Life-Charged Words” I wrote about how we lose our bearings when we attempt to satisfy ourselves with what is counterfeit, false, and fundamentally unsatisfying. Here in the west we’re trained in excess, instructed to consume more, and misled by advertising designed to facilitate profit to the extent that we double down on the “more is better” philosophy. In consequence, we load up on what cannot satisfy, hoping that sheer volume will make the difference. But it never will.

We lose our bearings when we attempt to satisfy ourselves with what is counterfeit, false, and fundamentally unsatisfying. Here in the west we’re trained in excess, instructed to consume more, and misled by advertising designed to facilitate profit to the extent that we double down on the “more is better” philosophy. In consequence, we load up on what cannot satisfy, hoping that sheer volume will make the difference. But it never will.

You could eat fast food chased with sugary colas and milkshakes all week long, gaining weight and adding triglycerides while increasing both blood pressure and cholesterol – but you wouldn’t be really satisfied. Alternatively, I could  serve you a five-ounce salmon fillet, along with a few small roasted potatoes and some asparagus spears, seasoned with fresh herbs from my garden, and you’ll be well satisfied because you’re providing your body what it longs for.

What we are hungry for, and I’m talking spiritually here, is never going to be satisfied outside of what we really need, and that’s a personal relationship with Jesus, nurtured in a faith community where we experience substance, not glitz.

What we are hungry for is never going to be satisfied outside of what we really need, and that’s a personal relationship with Jesus.

Tomorrow at WFPC we will be celebrating the sacrament of The Lord’s Supper, encapsulating what ultimately satisfies in a simple meal of bread and wine.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Take, eat, and be satisfied – DEREK

fresh plantings

Logan’s Trading Company

tricolor sage

happy man

Logan’s