30 Days of Tasting

Today is the first day of 30 days of Tasting. I am beginning this experiment as research for The Art of Faith, a workshop that Brent Bill and I are facilitating and a book we hope to co-author. For the next 30 days, Brent and I will include some of our journal as we reflect on the invitation, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

Day 1

Within minutes of finishing dinner—a quick salad of leftover barbecued chicken, veggies and greens—I became aware of a conscious craving for a piece of dark chocolate. From where did this subtle, yet insistent desire come? Was it the common habit of something sweet after a meal? Or the sharp flavor of intense, pungent chocolate that my mind and palate find so appealing?

Whatever the case, I went to the upper cabinet to the left of my stove where I keep my “stash.” Typically, you will find a stack of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars, the top one opened, the wrapper folded part way back. I have a habit of breaking off three small squares in a row and taking, what David and I call, our “vitamin.” (“Do you want your vitamin now?” we say to one another after lunch and/or dinner.)

My craving appears to come either from conditioning or from a flavor for which my palate truly has a penchant. Either way, this hankering is persuasive!

Reflecting, I wonder:

• What role does conditioning have in creating spiritual hunger?
• Do we train ourselves to yearn for God?
• Is that the value of a rule of life (regular spiritual disciplines) or the daily office (a daily regimen of prayers from the Book of Common Prayers)?
• How can I create rhythms in my day that instill a craving for God?