Pfunky Griddle Experience

A few weeks ago I went to the Pfunky Griddle in Nashville. It was a completely bizarre experience! When you walk in the small house like restaurant you are seated at a table with a griddle in the middle of the table and you see people cooking and flipping their own pancakes, potatoes, etc. At first I was super pumped! What a creative and fun hands-on dining experience!But the more I thought about it I started feeling like a fool. Basically, I am paying for people to bring me food to cook myself? I can do this at home! My mind kept going back and forth thinking this place was either genius or the dumbest idea ever. Not sure, but either way it was an interesting experience. I think I would go back even though my mind is still conflicted about how I feel about the concept.

Then I started thinking how much the Pfunky Griddle is how I do youth ministry. I feel like most churches have a set meal plan and a certain way to prepare the gospel in order to know "how many people are saved". Most churches have a specific menu and specialties they offer to people prepared perfectly so it is not only the best but it's done right. I prefer the method of the Pfunky Griddle. When students come to youth group they read about different perspectives on the menu. They are handed ingredients and I let them make their own spiritual food. I give them the main ingredients... Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, and love. There may be a few suggestions on the wall on how to best prepare for life but when it comes down to it they must learn how to do it themselves.  I teach them all kinds of ways they can or could prepare their food and ways that I have learned. However, they are the ones that have to do the cooking and eating. The best part is when they come up with something different or better than I have. This is scary for a lot of youth ministers and churches because it's not a neat and easy way to know for sure if kids are coming to know Jesus. I will admit it's scary for me too and I struggle to decide if it's genius or straight up dumb. Yet, I am such a firm believer in tossing the seeds and getting out of the way to let the Holy Spirit do the rest of the growing.

Thank you Pfunky Griddle for the inspiration.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home Run Prayer

Image
I was reading a book about adolescent development today and there was a section about sports. It caused me to heavily reflect upon my time as a high school and college athlete. I remember training harder than ever in high school so I could be a starter on the Varsity team. My defense skills as a catcher were very strong. My hitting was consistent, but I was not a power hitter. I was a decent single hitter and great a moving my team-mates around the bases. My greatest strength was bunting. Yet, every player longs to hit a home run. I had been trying to hit a home run ever since I could play ball. It was never accomplished. In high school I spent much of my time trying to make my swing more powerful. I remember after one of my best rounds of hitting in the cage every ball was a solid line drive to the back of the net. Hitting the ball like that felt so good! I hit almost an entire bucket of frozen ropes. When I was done I quickly ran over to pick up all the balls and I smi
Read more

Experiencing the Unseen

Image
Ephesians 6: 10-12 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This past weekend I saw student's lives changed, had open and honest conversation about sex and relationships, and watched three different generations bond together sharing wisdom and teaching one another. It was a beautiful picture of family ministry.  Adults and teenagers were together talking about subjects that I think most churches try to sweep under the rug causing people to learn about sex and relationships through media and other misleading sources. One parent put the weekend into her own words... "Mostly this weekend I was reminded that teens want adults to be real, truthful and to sh
Read more

What I Learned About Marriage from my Big Brother

Image
Here is the Wedding Message I gave during my brother's wedding Oct 22, 2011...  I have only lived with my brother for 16 years. And today Wendy you are committing the rest of your life to Jason! Now that I have been married for 3 years myself, as I reflect on the 16 years of living with my brother I realized that God had used Jason to prepare me for my own marriage. I learned 3 key important ingredients that have helped me in my own marriage and I hope will help you in yours as well. INGREDIENT # 1 -  Open Communication Thanks to Jason, I learned in my own marriage that it’s somewhat healthy to wear your emotions on your sleeve. My brother and I always spoke freely with very honest feedback about how we were feeling. Even though it could be hurtful at times I could always trust with Jason that there were no surprises since communication was so open. For example; even though we disagreed in high school and had very different lifestyles; there’s a part of me that always
Read more