Fried Food-on-a-Stick from Vanity Fair

Linda and I recently spent a few days on vacation during which we enjoyed browsing through a variety of antique malls, looking to replenish our inventory of vintage and costume jewelry, and seeing some of the attractions in Des Moines IA, including the weekend farmer’s market, the botanical gardens and the Iowa State Fair. I had been told beforehand that the Fair was featuring more than 35 different deep-fried foods on a stick this year. Those included Milky Way and Snickers bars, sticks of butter, pickles, peanut butter and jelly, bologna and other delicacies. It occurred to me that it might be enjoyable to sample all 35 but I discarded that idea for two reasons; at four or five dollars a pop it was more than my wallet could bear. Even more importantly, though, it would have been drastically counter-productive in my current effort to lose weight and it would certainly not have been good for my cholesterol! I did sample a few however and my favorite was the deep-fried stick of butter. The bacon dipped in chocolate sauce came in a close second. I subsequently discovered that the Swedish bakery stand at the farmer’s market didn’t have anything that I didn’t like! I was not surprised when arriving home and standing on the scale to discover that I had gained four pounds.

In the midst of my culinary misbehavior I was forcibly struck by the sea of humanity at both of those venues. Literally scores of thousands of people were with me at the Fair and an average of 18,000 attend the farmer’s market each weekend. I observed many who, like me, were making their way through the crowd, participating in the eating experience. It reminded me of Bunyan’s Vanity Fair and it occurred to me that what I was observing was a picture in miniature of our world where people make their way through life, sampling a wide variety of spiritual delicacies, all of them attractively presented, appealing to the mind and senses, but none of which are particularly good for the spiritual waistline, cholesterol or blood sugar. All of them guaranteed to end in spiritual death.

Upon making an inquiry I discovered that the farmer’s market, at least, makes free space available to non-profit organizations. I did not notice more than 2 or 3, however. What a great outreach opportunity for a Great Commission minded church! The world, though, needs more than just a booth at the Des Moines farmer’s market or the Iowa State Fair. Whether the crowds are numbered in the millions, thousands or hundreds, a Gospel testimony is the only way to provide the consistent source of spiritual food that they need among all of the fancy but nutrition-less delicacies offered by the world. Church planting is one of the most effective ways to provide such a testimony wherever it is lacking. I count it a privilege to be involved in facilitating that kind of Great Commission ministry through the efforts of Midwest Church Extension!