an evening out
I've never been hugged by a waitress... until tonight.
My wife & I were trying to attend an evening workshop on grants for home ownership. I must confess... we found out about it on one of those "infomercials," but because we are committed to the city, we desperately want to explore every avenue for home ownership in the city -- a very expensive venture. We traveled down to East 45th St. from the Bronx and were rejected at the door because no children under 12 were admitted. Hylma went in for about 10 minutes to uncover what the "catch" was, and we concluded that this avenue was -- as you might expect -- not for us. However, it lead us to discover a delightful evening.
We took a casual walk from 45th up to about 52nd and over to 3rd Ave. from Madison. We stopped to look at the menu of a high priced Lebanese restaurant. As we were about to move on, a patron came walking out. We got directions from this gay Eastsider to a high rated (Zagat survey) Turkish place a couple of blocks away. This became the highlight of a spontaneous evening out. (If you're ever looking for Turkish food in East Manhattan, Taksim on 2nd Ave. near 54th St. comes highly recommended.)
We were greeted with smiles and adoration of our baby girl by the waitresses. Our waitress was more than friendly... really warm and welcoming. We love Near Eastern food, and this place was no exception. Falafel, lamb, red lintels, and baklava, and our daughter was welcome! she was more than welcome. She was held, hugged, and celebrated. Our Turkish waitress even walked us out onto the street, showed us a picture of her baby, hugged both Hylma and me, and gave us a Turkish good luck charm for Adalia.
Our kind waitress also expressed that many Americans have "no soul." She sees a lack of joy in many of her patrons and neighbors. Whether one agrees with her assessment or not, it is a sad impression that has been made by many. I suppose an adorable child and the presence of the Holy Spirit made a difference tonight. She saw us -- paying customers -- off as if we were departing from the front porch of her home.
We caught our bus home to the Bronx while making a series of calls on my cell phone, and as we walked into the front of our building, we encountered some of our neighbors. They are wonderful people with four children and a great sense of family. They are the kind of people that make a neighborhood enjoyable. We talked as we entered the building together and into the elevator until reaching the 3rd floor. One of them asked me when her birthday was and asked about her [astrological] sign. I didn't know her sign nor had I ever thought of looking it up. Neither am I appalled at the question though I recognize it's pagan orientation. It simply reflects a common worldview of many Americans.
Walking with my wife, I told her: I am loving "simple church" more & more, but I am also learning such a great deal. No churches were planted tonight and I'm not even sure why the thought came to mind connected to a friendly Turkish restaurant, except that "simple church" or "house church" approaches to Christian community emphasize relationships and people rather than sustaining an institution and its programs that may or may not be serving as mediums of transformation. As I live in the city under the banner of relational ministry, I'm learning how to simply be salt and light. I'm learning how to move about in the midst of the lost masses as a Christian. I can't really explain it, but at times I find great freedom in being a Christian in the city. Oftentimes there is a greater need to be than to do, and that is a difficult lesson for me to learn. I'm learning a great many things. I'm learning to do far more than advertize "Come as you are," but to actually mean it. I'm learning about incarnational ministry, and somehow a friendly Turkish waitress reminded me of that.
My wife & I were trying to attend an evening workshop on grants for home ownership. I must confess... we found out about it on one of those "infomercials," but because we are committed to the city, we desperately want to explore every avenue for home ownership in the city -- a very expensive venture. We traveled down to East 45th St. from the Bronx and were rejected at the door because no children under 12 were admitted. Hylma went in for about 10 minutes to uncover what the "catch" was, and we concluded that this avenue was -- as you might expect -- not for us. However, it lead us to discover a delightful evening.
We took a casual walk from 45th up to about 52nd and over to 3rd Ave. from Madison. We stopped to look at the menu of a high priced Lebanese restaurant. As we were about to move on, a patron came walking out. We got directions from this gay Eastsider to a high rated (Zagat survey) Turkish place a couple of blocks away. This became the highlight of a spontaneous evening out. (If you're ever looking for Turkish food in East Manhattan, Taksim on 2nd Ave. near 54th St. comes highly recommended.)
We were greeted with smiles and adoration of our baby girl by the waitresses. Our waitress was more than friendly... really warm and welcoming. We love Near Eastern food, and this place was no exception. Falafel, lamb, red lintels, and baklava, and our daughter was welcome! she was more than welcome. She was held, hugged, and celebrated. Our Turkish waitress even walked us out onto the street, showed us a picture of her baby, hugged both Hylma and me, and gave us a Turkish good luck charm for Adalia.
Our kind waitress also expressed that many Americans have "no soul." She sees a lack of joy in many of her patrons and neighbors. Whether one agrees with her assessment or not, it is a sad impression that has been made by many. I suppose an adorable child and the presence of the Holy Spirit made a difference tonight. She saw us -- paying customers -- off as if we were departing from the front porch of her home.
We caught our bus home to the Bronx while making a series of calls on my cell phone, and as we walked into the front of our building, we encountered some of our neighbors. They are wonderful people with four children and a great sense of family. They are the kind of people that make a neighborhood enjoyable. We talked as we entered the building together and into the elevator until reaching the 3rd floor. One of them asked me when her birthday was and asked about her [astrological] sign. I didn't know her sign nor had I ever thought of looking it up. Neither am I appalled at the question though I recognize it's pagan orientation. It simply reflects a common worldview of many Americans.
Walking with my wife, I told her: I am loving "simple church" more & more, but I am also learning such a great deal. No churches were planted tonight and I'm not even sure why the thought came to mind connected to a friendly Turkish restaurant, except that "simple church" or "house church" approaches to Christian community emphasize relationships and people rather than sustaining an institution and its programs that may or may not be serving as mediums of transformation. As I live in the city under the banner of relational ministry, I'm learning how to simply be salt and light. I'm learning how to move about in the midst of the lost masses as a Christian. I can't really explain it, but at times I find great freedom in being a Christian in the city. Oftentimes there is a greater need to be than to do, and that is a difficult lesson for me to learn. I'm learning a great many things. I'm learning to do far more than advertize "Come as you are," but to actually mean it. I'm learning about incarnational ministry, and somehow a friendly Turkish waitress reminded me of that.
posted by Jared | 8:11 PM
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