You Want Fries With That?

* This blog was inspired by a message I recently preached titled "697 Notifications". Decided to turn my notes into a blog. :) Enjoy!

The day McDonald's changed my mind!
Friday, April 3, 2009 I was driving to North Carolina to visit friends and seek God about direction in my life. I was starving!!!! So, I stopped for gas about half way there and saw a Wendy’s right next to the gas station and typically I would gravitate towards a Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s over a greasy burger from McDonald's any day! However, I decided against Wendy’s, mainly because I have to have ranch with my sandwich and trying to drive, eat my sandwich and dip it in ranch sauce just  sounded like disaster. So, I drove towards McDonald's.

Now you have to understand, I HATE McDonalds… at least up to this day in my life.  Not because their food tastes nasty, but because I always seemed to receive horrible service and it usually makes me feel sick after I eat a greasy "beef" burger! No matter how many times I say that I am never going back months will pass and I give them another chance to prove me wrong and then BAM I have another horrible experience at McDonald's.

Anyways, so I find myself driving toward the dreaded golden arch and as I pull in I find that this is no ordinary McDonald's; this location happens to be attached to a Hot Spot gas station. This makes it all the sketchier in my mind. I, for a second reconsider my decision and then decide just to go with it.

I pull up to the menu where I see a sign in the grass that reads something like, “Thank you for choosing to visit our McDonald's, we highly appreciate your business” and in my mind I am sarcastically thinking, “yeah, do whatever you can to get us to come back”. I order my DOUBLE Quarter pounder with cheese, because I know that the one sorry excuse for a piece of meat that comes on the regular quarter pounder will only be a teaser to my appetite. I pull to the window and shockingly there I find an employee with a smile who quickly takes my plastic and says with a smile, “thank you for coming to McDonald's, please come again” I pull forward to the next window and before I even fully stop I see ANOTHER smiling face who has my food ready in hand! She hands me the bag and says with a smile, “thank you for coming, please come again!” I drive off and literally thought, “well, that was different”.

I reach into my bag and grab a few HOT, FRESH & perfectly salted fries!!! I thought to myself, “wow, that’s refreshing…better enjoy these, because I know the burger is gonna let me down” I then dig further into my bag of delight to grab the usual box of disappointment. I open it up and I find this hamburger that looks like it fell off of the Menu sign! It was HUGE! The American cheese was melted between the patties! They had put just enough toppings on top! The patties were literally hanging outside of the buns and I within each bite I could taste every different ingredient included! It was like each bite was bursting with scrumptiousness!!! There was a food revival going on in my mouth!

At this point all my other McDonald's experiences didn’t matter…. The McDonald's off the Clemson, SC EXIT 19 had forever changed my mind!!!!!!!!! Who would have thought such greatness would have come out of this normally and somewhat sketchy looking McDonald's!

I could not believe it!!!! I called my best friend (who recently had become a vegetarian and also knows how much I despise McDonald's) and told her for about 3 minutes how good both my experience and food was that day. I talked so highly about my experience that 4 days later SHE WAS STILL THINKING ABOUT AND CRAVING MCDONALD'S!

This whole experience left me questioning...

• What if we as the body of Christ (church) started truly operating like that? 
• What if we began to love the way that we are called to love? Loving others in such a way that it began to change the minds of those who are bitter towards God? 
• What if we began to talk so much about how much God has changed our life that it makes people hungry for truth?
• What if, we let our lives display hope despite our current situation (good or bad), current job (dream job or "pays the bills") or current enviroment (encouraging or negative)?
• What if we lived our lives in such true response to the love of Jesus Christ that it makes the atheist crave salvation?

Philippians 2:1-5

If you have ANY encouragement from being united with Christ, if ANY comfort from his love, if ANY fellowship with the Spirit, if ANY tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT! The Bible tells us how to operate in them.

vs 3. "Do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit."

I am constantly challenging myself and others to “Love without strings attached."  

Without strings attached = unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. Basically, not having anything to “pull on” later to get your way or fulfill a selfish ambition.

Friendships were never meant to be so dysfunctional and full of drama as we so often see them played out.

Friendships and relationships are a continual choice of choosing the other over yourself. This stands true for every relationship type – Family, spouse, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

Relationships should never be based upon what you can GET out of them, yet...what you can GIVE in them.

Fellow believers, we don’t have time to waste. The world holds enough jaded perspectives of "Christians". They have lived out enough "horrible experiences" or have been influences by someone else who has had a "horrible experience". We as Christians do not have the option of picking and choosing who we love. The Bible reads, "consider others"....that’s everyone outside of yourself. (*However, you’re covered too when others love you better than themselves... it’s the circle of love) Sure, it’s easy to love the people we "like". But, what about the people that drives us crazy or our co-workers that you pray will get a new job (aka get fired)? Better yet, what about the people that you see all the time, but don’t really know anything about. You know, the ones who you have connected with on Facebook, but your real life interactions are basically non-existent. Considering others better than yourself is taking your eyes off of yourself and is asking, "how can I serve them?", "God, allow me to see this person the way that you see them", "how can my actions/words help them and not discourage them?" or "how can I help put a win under their belt?"  

Jesus Christ considered YOU more than His current situation both when he was seated on the throne in Heaven and when he was hanging on a cross. It was His love for you and the desire for a true relationship with you that made the sacrifice worth it.

His love makes living in response to his love so worth it.

Point being, you can’t love God and not love people. As you grow closer to the heart of God, people will become more important to you...because people are important to Him. <3

and to answer the question, yes...yes I most def want fries with that. :)

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