Kitchen Theology

Yesterday I had coffee with a friend.  She is a new friend, a peer, and we were digging deep to find out the finer details about one another.  She comes from another culture but our similarities were too many to count.

In talking about siblings, she mentioned one of hers.  He is obviously well-respected by her family but also in the community in which he lives.  He has a very good job, reputation, and impressive credentials.  If I told you where he lives ...you would be totally jealous!

She mentioned that as a young man trying to "find himself", her brother would often tell their Mother he was tried of her "Kitchen Theology".  Later, it turns out, that after several university degrees -  including one in Philosophy - and living life with a few good lessons under his belt - his Mother's "Kitchen Theology" proved to be a solid and trustworthy foundation for living.

This got me to thinking.  "Kitchen Theology".  Most of my life up until this point has been lived preaching "Kitchen Theology" to my girls.  Stirring pasta, whipping up a batch of brownies, scrubbing left over gunk from the bottom the sink ...all have been podiums from which my sermons have been cast.

Recently, one of my dears shared a concern about a friend all while I attentively listened and interjected over pots and pans.  We danced about the kitchen as I grabbed milk or put away spices.  She continued to spin her tale as I collected each sentence with ears on the story and hands on the spatula.  At the conclusion of her discourse, she weighed two options.  Giving my rebuttal and a few good truths that I have learned through life experience she came to a conclusion that left her tasting the yummy goodness in my pot and hugging me around the neck before exiting my courtroom ...I mean kitchen.

This, THIS is "Kitchen Theology" at it's finest.  It may spill onto the kitchen table, while shoveling spoonfuls of spaghetti into hungry stomachs.  It may end in a heated debate over homework being done at said table.  None-the-less, it's a classroom and I find myself not only the teacher but the learner.

As teacher, my "Kitchen Theology" gets dispersed in effortless strains of one-liners or mini speeches, but the message is heard in a non-intimidating setting.  As learner, my "Kitchen Theology" gives me a glimpse into the world of my dears - their struggles, their hurts, their world-view.

"Kitchen Theology": doing life and discussing it along the way.

rattling pots, pans, and words,
Christina