Talking to Martha Manikas-Foster at Family Life radio is always, always a pleasure. (We’ve talked before about boys and guns and the new domesticity).
Recently Martha interviewed me about my book. Below is some of what she wrote about it, and you can listen to our conversation here.
Toward the end of her new book Eat With Joy, our guest on Inside Out–author Rachel Marie Stone–assures us that when it comes what she calls “joyful eating,” it’s best to accept that we’re never going to do it perfectly. For me that’s a comfortable place to start every attempt at change. And change is what Rachel’s talking about. If we arrive somewhere near the goal, Rachel would have us cooking and eating together—even in our messy houses–and doing it all with gratitude toward God.
“I hope that those people who are inclined to restrict their eating, to approach food with a diet mentality, and to feel guilty about food—I hope that in reading my book they might find freedom to enjoy God’s gift of food,” Rachel says. “And I hope that people might feel an invitation to be more intentional about family dinners and about inviting each other over for an ordinary meal. And I also hope that people will discover that there’s much more to food than just keeping us alive and healthy.”
Reduce guilt. Increase joy.
“Ultimately,” she says, “it’s about connecting us with one another, and connecting us to God.”
Rachel talked with us previously on Inside Out when we wondered if there’s a link between toy guns and violence. She also helped us understand the movement that’s being called the “new domesticity.” Rachel’s written for numerous publications and is a regular contributor to one of Christianity Today’s blogs: her.meneutics. She joined us for this conversation from her home in the Republic of Malawi, in southeast Africa. And though at times the physical distance between us diminished the sound quality of our recording, trust me when I say that it had no negative impact on her enthusiasm.
Join us (by clicking here) to hear our conversation. We talk about how the Bible uses the language of food to illustrate God’s provision, how chopped onions and a little olive oil can delight the senses, and how a simple meal with family or friends can build community.