Because food is a gift, how we handle it€”what we eat and how we eat
it€”is much more than a matter of convenience, taste, desire, or
consumption. How I respond to a gift is an indication of how I feel
about the giver. And because food is a gift of God's good grace, I
respond by eating€”and supporting within my community€”food that manifests
God's grace well.

Which raises a significant question: Is it possible for particular foods
to better manifest God's grace than other foods? I think so.

Food that causes our bodies harm misuses and ultimately abuses his gift
of grace. When food is healthy and grown with reverence for its
environment and with care for those in our communities€”precisely the
type of food grown by Eighth Day Farm€”it provides genuine nourishment,
body and soul.

Another question: Is it possible to eat this food in ways that better
respond to God's gifts than other ways? Again, I think so.

God, Paul tells us, gives "rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
satisfying [our] hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). Eating,
then, should bring us satisfaction and gladness because, properly
understood, food testifies of God and his goodness. I've learned over
back-deck dinners with our closest friends that the finest way to eat is
joyfully, in fellowship with others and, above all, with a profound
sense of gratefulness€”not only for the food and the hands that prepared
it, but primarily for the God who has given us such flavorful gifts.