DISCIPLESHIP AND MEALS
Dear Family and Friends,
One of the surprises of my doctoral interviews with Czech protégé-painters back in the early 90’s was the impact their mentors had on them outside of the studio, i.e., outside of the formal training times with their master-painter mentors. They greatly appreciated and assimilated the worldview of their teachers due to time spent with them after class in the wine bars and pubs of Prague.
Jesus knew the personal impact of such small, intimate dining experiences. We find Him in Luke’s Gospel dining with others on 10 separate occasions. Gathering around food is enjoyable. We relax. We talk. We listen. We process life. We come to new perspectives. And in this comfortable, informal and natural setting, we are changed by those we spend time with. Some things are simply more “caught” than “taught.” And we “conform to the character of the company we keep” (1 Cor 15:33; Prov 13:22).
This is one of the reasons why the Tyrannus and Lydia Halls (TLH) ministry powerfully shapes the lives of students. Leaders and students so frequently eat together! Yes, there are formal teaching times. But living together provides opportunities for life-on-life transformation during informal times that no amount of formal teaching can do.
Here is a glimpse of what TLH discipleship and food looks like around the world over the last 6 weeks. Notice all the smiles?
Budapest Tyrannus Hall (Hungary) – Julie gave the BTH guys a taste of American hamburgers and ice cream sundaes.
Cluj Tyrannus Hall (Romania) – Csongi and Anci, new resident staff, make lángos (“lon-gosh”) with CTH students. Lángos is a popular Hungarian street food; a crispy, golden, deep-fried flatbread made from yeasted dough, served hot with garlic butter, sour cream, and grated cheese. For many years, Anci made lángos at her family’s restaurant.
Csongi and Anci are God’s answer to many prayers. They believe God miraculously led them to the CTH, and we believe God miraculously provided them for this ministry. Related to the theme of food and discipleship, Anci put her family’s coffee maker in the students’ kitchen to increase her informal interaction time with the students. Please pray for them as they settle into their new roles in the CTH.
Pune Tyrannus Hall (India) – Rev. Sanjay and his wife Sunendra often find occasion for special meals with the students. The first two pictures are from a November celebration. The following two pictures are from last week’s Christmas party.
Shillong Lydia Hall (India) – Atola and Athisa, Directors of the SLH, spent time with their two student leaders over dinner about two weeks ago.
Shillong Tyrannus Hall and Dimapur Tyrannus Hall (India) – At the start of December, the Dimapur Tyrannus Hall visited the Shillong Tyrannus Hall, where many meals were shared together. Dr. Vepu and Rev. Dr. Kansin, respective leaders of the DTH and STH, are pictured in the back left of the photo below meeting with students (with accompanying food).
Chittagong Hills Tyrannus and Lydia Halls (Bangladesh) – Rev. Thimkhup organized a youth camp training session for the two Halls he leads in late November. Again, many meals together between leaders and students!!
Phnom Penh Tyrannus and Lydia Halls (Cambodia) – Rev. Dr. Bonny Resu visited the Cambodian Halls the last week of November. Besides sending me these photos, he added, “Eating is so important to any fellowship 😃.” Something we can all agree on!
As we are now in the Christmas season, we have many opportunities to gather around food with family and friends. What Kingdom perspectives will we share? May Christ be a central part of our conversations and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”(Eph 6:17) not absent from our lips.
Richly enjoying both disciple-becoming with others and food,
Steve
P.S. – Though still a work in progress, Tyrannus and Lydia Halls has recently entered the digital age with its website https://www.tyrannusandlydiahalls.com/. The plan is to add a lot more information and many new photos and videos in the year to come.