I found myself in Moorpark yesterday after the noon hour appointed for
lunch. Putting miles on a press bike, a 2016 Bonneville T120, the restaurant I
was looking for was gone, now selling fast food, and I was past hungry. So I
settled for a Jersey Mike’s, and a sub. Now being from Jersey, and being named
Mike, I know a bit about subs, and although these have become the latest hot
franchise, the Mickey D’s of sandwiches, I always come away a bit disappointed.
Growing up on Duke’s, you either got a whole or a half, their way. You trusted
the maker to do his thing, and Duke’s ruled. No how do you want it, where else
do you go where they ask how do you want them to make your food? Then Hershey’s
came along, and the subs were even better, same ingredients, but different. In
Plainfield it was JV’s, and again, the same only different. Real meat, a thick
sandwich, not this thin sliced hide the meat in the veggies we have become used
to, a meal in your hands, you ate without it being cut into smaller halves.
Your hands smelled good and tasted good for hours after. And of course Greasy
Tony’s, where they had paper towels instead of sissy napkins, if you have to ask
I can explain, but you still might not get it. A real sandwich, filled with the
owner’s special way to make it, not taught at a school for franchisees. Men and
women who loved to cook, and got into business, the food first, and when it was
good then came the profits. And on every trip back to the fatherland, a trip to
Hershey’s is a must. And for a week my hands still smell like the
spices...
But in 1976, I saw the future when meeting my friend Bob Allen for a late
dinner at his friend’s sub shop in Albuquerque, the owner was excited. He had
just signed a contract with a new chain, Subway, and felt he had a good future.
Subs were not the hot setup in Albuquerque, but this was to change with Subway.
And would change the way America looked at submarine sandwiches. What Ray Kroc
had done for burgers and fries, Subway was about to do for subs. Where were
Duke’s, Hershey’s and Greasy Tony’s when we need them? Is it possible that
something good could ever come out of New Jersey?
We tend to frequent small hole in the wall places, where the owner makes
the food, and it is his way. His recipe. If I had been patient yesterday, a
trip of 5 miles would have brought me to Old School, a great sandwich place
where for the money you get fed, not franchised. Maybe a lesson in patience was
in order yesterday, a lesson I hope will not repeat itself.
A few weeks ago in our Tuesday night study Jeffrey asked what it meant to
have a personal relationship with Christ. He was a Christian man, but wanted
more than religion had to offer. He was tired of the franchised way of
worshipping God, and knew there had to be more. After I did my best to explain,
he said he got it, and in the past few weeks has grown in the Lord as the spirit
is now upon him. And he knows it. What a difference getting personal means,
not only in subs, but in knowing Jesus. Knowing about where the best subs are
has value, knowing has vitality. Life, excitement, new flavors, and a new take
on an old meal. Works with Jesus too, as Jeff and many others have found out.
Franchised religion via denominations will do for awhile, but to grow in Christ
you need more than a premade sermon every week. You eat 7 days a week, you need
Jesus everyday too. Casual contact on Sundays or Christmas and Easter are not
enough, it comes from constant contact via the spirit, where the red words
spoken by Jesus take on the face of God, not the face of church. Where you can
go directly to the man, instead of a man. But yet many take the casual
approach, and eat at Subways, never knowing what a real meal can taste
like.
Maybe my father in law described it best. A Catholic by culture, he told
me once the thing he liked about the Catholic religion was no matter where he
was, it was always the same. No challenges, very little participation, and no
growth. He felt comfortable and when his time was up, he left until next week.
And repeated the same. Pick any religion, and when the pastor hides behind a
pulpit, but encourages you to get out, maybe it is time to get out, and into
Jesus. To see why we celebrate a risen Christ, why he suffered, and why in our
suffering we draw closer to him. To meet him personally, if Jesus showed up at
your table for lunch, would you recognize him? Would you be comfortable with
him?
When we see ourselves as God does, we see things differently. We see Jesus
clearer, and scripture comes alive. No longer do we whine and cry in suffering,
we know since he suffered, we will too, and that he will win the battle without
our help. Which one of us was there to help him at the cross? We find a new
freedom in Christ to be who we want, and things become less important. People
do, and we see opportunities to minister that we stepped over before. The love
of Jesus makes it personal, and we want to know him more, not about him, but to
know him. Just like a best friend, we always want to see him, and make the time
to do it. Religion ends up franchised like many a good sub, but there are still
better places to eat, where you can meet the cook, watch them prepare the food,
and just the aroma when the door opens makes you even hungrier. Just like the
holy spirit does for us...
Dave Thomas made a fortune selling burgers with his red headed daughter
Wendy on the sign. His philosophy was simple, a better burger, his way. And
based on his philosophy, the best two bites of the burger are the first, ahh,
you gotta have another, and the last, I can’t wait until I come back. How do
you meet Jesus, and how does he leave you? Are you excited to see him and spend
time with him, and cannot wait for more, or is it just time for church again?
Are you just eating because it is lunch time? The hunger for more of Jesus
cannot be self fulfilled, only by his spirit will we ever be satisfied. And it
is offered to every believer, free of charge. And you cannot get it by trying,
struggling, or stressing. It comes from knowing Jesus personally. Face to
face, sandwich to sandwich.
By the way, Jersey Mike’s was started by a guy named Pete. Jersey Pete’s?
So here is to all who go it alone, seeking more from their meal. To Duke’s,
Hershey’s, and Greasy Tony’s. The ladies at JV’s, who each took a good sandwich
and made it better. Tired of franchised religion, Jesus is the way. Always has
been, always will be. For love or money, you will get what you want from
religion, but will never be satisfied. The best meals are ones with the recipe
made from the heart, not our way, but their way. The way to the cross is the
person who we will find there, Jesus Christ. If he can feed 5000, imagine what
he can do for you. First the prophets, now it is about profits. And you don’t
have to go to Jersey!
Are you being fed or franchised?
love with compassion,
Mike
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